In This Together
Fresh Choice owner Steve Ling says community volunteers were a “saving grace” when the supermarket was scrambling to cope with the effects of panic buying last month.
“When the alert changed to Level 3, it was like Christmas Eve on steroids. But Christmas Eve is well-planned and resourced. This was unplanned and poorly resourced.
“Every half-day, the situation was changing with government requirements for shopper self-distancing. Customers were like new puppies needing training. They had no idea what was going on, so they were all over the place, with their world tipped upside down.
“They’re coming right now after we put a security guard on to help us.
“I want to give a big shout out to Rick Peers, Lynda Moses and the outreach being run by Cyberlink and the Ōmokoroa Community Church for vulnerable residents,” says Steve.
In This Together Ōmokoroa Peninsula has more than 50 vetted volunteers who have offered to deliver groceries to over 70s, or those with serious health issues.
“In that period, a lot of the public did not want to work because they were scared. We went from five job applications per day to none. The volunteers got us through because we were fire fighting and we’re still playing catch-up,” he says.
Several stock lines have been “hit and miss” with suppliers - including disinfectant, toilet paper, soap, tissues, flour, yeast, sugar, bread, and frozen veges.
People need to shop less selfishly.
On the day I spoke to her, grocery manager Sharon Hanson had ordered 2,247 cartons of goods to restock shelves, but only 1,549 arrived - leaving 31% missing.
“Missing 50% of our order was the worst day. We were capped at 800 cartons, needing 2,500 to cover the gaps,” she says.
For ITTOP volunteers, helping now may be something as simple as a phone call to check on someone every few days. Lynda wants people to consider their older neighbours, who may not see this information through email or Facebook.
“Not all over-70s are smartphone or internet users. They may be isolated. Help with deliveries is only for peninsula residents genuinely not able to go themselves,” she says.
Steve says staff have been amazing, with most working extra-long shifts.
“They’ve always got a smile. No one has complained. They understand what is required of us and they get on with it. I take my hat off to them really,” says Steve.
Fresh Choice faces a two-week shutdown if there is a case of COVID-19.
“We have the weight of the staff health on our shoulders. Some in the community were not listening at the start. They were thinking only of themselves, not the consequences of their actions and their impact on the whole area if we had to close.
“Some people had just returned from overseas. Another one or two were joking about the situation. The bottom line is, if you have a cold or feel unwell, you should stay away.
“We are thinking of everyone in the community. Making sure everyone has food in the cupboard is very important to us,” Steve says.
Fresh Choice has trained a dozen new members of staff for an online Click and Collect grocery service, which is already proving a winner.
It hit the ground running with a national award after two days, clocking up 205 orders as the Ōmokoroa store was named NZ-wide winners in the new store category for the most impressive start to online trade.
“I know there is some frustration in the peninsula with how long the current waiting time is to arrange collection or delivery. This week’s plan is to get on top of orders and expand the service by 50%,” says Steve.
“We operated our Methven store through the two earthquakes, and they were nothing compared to the scale of this. It’s been more challenging by a country mile.”
Meanwhile, Lynda Moses asks that local clubs and groups think of their more vulnerable members. If you have any welfare concerns for yourself or others, please email tanya@theocc.org.nz
PHOTOS: Liz Farrell/Supplied.