Horowhenua kai rescue faces growing demand as 'prices go up' with living crisis
A Horowhenua food rescue group that relies on the generosity of its community is seeing increasing demand as residents struggle with the cost of living.
Linda Lake founded Te Awahou Kai in Foxton in 2017 to try and ensure “nobody goes hungry”.
She said the food rescue meant she could find and create connections for people who were struggling to access food, financial support or help with their mental health.
“We’re all about community, we’re all about whānau ... we have no criteria and we don’t ask questions – everybody is welcome.
“We also have a couch – I call it the therapy couch – and when I’m here on my own people come down and offload.”
In the six years she had run the organisation, it had moved premises and demand had “grown greatly”, she said. “We’re seeing all sorts of people coming in.
“We have people who are working
... and there are some people who just have no money left over to top up [their groceries]. They’ve told us they couldn’t get by without our top-up.”
Te Awahou Kai did not receive funding and instead relied on donations and volunteers.
Lake said they were supported by a bakery in Levin, Just Zilch and Hope Kete. “This seems to tide us over until we need to stock up again.
“But we would love to see more people come on board. Anyone with excess food or household items can drop them to us, and we need anyone with connections to bakeries or cafes.”
She believed the reason for the increase in demand was because the “prices of everything had gone up”.
“People are struggling ... they don’t know how they’re going to cope.
“Some people don’t know what support they are entitled to either, so I will act as an agent for Work and Income to help them.”
Fundraising was also an important part of the organisation, with some of the larger items sold and the funds put back into Te Awahou Kai. “That’s about the only way we make money ... but if we are given say a nice jug and someone needs it I’ll just give it to them,” she said.
According to figures released by Stats NZ, food prices were 12.5% higher in April 2023 than they were in April 2022.
This was the largest increase since September 1987, a year after GST was introduced in 1986.
Te Awahou Kai is located at the old Playcentre on Hall St, and is open Monday and Thursday from 4.30pm until 5.30pm.
It is also open for an hour on Thursdays for over 65s from 10am to 11am.
Food and household items can be dropped directly to the centre or donations can be made via bank account BNZ 02-0727-0543305-034.