Covid-hit South Island charities given funding boost by Foodstuffs (South Island) Community Trust
When a lenheim family received a small pack of mince in their emergency food parcel, their little boy asked if it was Christmas time again that was the last time there had been any lu uries on the family’s dinner table.
arlborough oodbank manager Wynnie Cosgrove says stories like this show how one year on from the first Covid-19 lockdown, the number of iwis struggling in our communities continues to grow. s ew ealanders grapple with ob losses, reduced hours and rising rent putting food on the table becomes an everyday challenge and is placing significant demands on community services.
oodstuffs outh sland Community Trust responded to the initial Covid-19 crisis by reaching out to its members and staff, raising , for outh sland charities and community organisations. Cosgrove says this support has made a huge impact in the lenheim community.
upport from the Trust means we ve been able to buy e tra food like meat and dairy products to help cope with the increased demand here in the
arlborough region,” says Cosgrove.
oodstuffs supermarkets which include ew World,
P n and our uare work closely with their local foodbanks, delivering on their promise to be ere for
ensuring ew ealanders have access to healthy and affordable food.
ew World lenheim owner operator elanie hore says, like all oodstuffs store owners, she s proud to support her community. This means celebrating with them when things are going well and helping out when times are tough.
We ve always believed in supporting our community, and after the year
ew ealand s had we ve realised how essential our role in our community is. t s all about doing the right thing for people and helping out where we can.”
The oodstuffs outh sland Community Trust’s first round of funding has been distributed and the Trust is now looking for new recipients to receive a share of the remaining
2 , .
ustin mith, Chair of oodstuffs outh sland Community Trust, says one year on, the ongoing impact of Covid-19 is widespread. With supermarkets all over the outh sland, oodstuffs is a part of almost every community, and supporting them to thrive is ust one of the proactive ways the co-op demonstrates its commitment to be ere for .
Cholmondeley Children’s centre undraising and marketing manager Tanya Cooke says, the pandemic has intensified the needs of families relying on support from the centre. The Trust’s support has helped us continue providing regular short-term and emergency respite care for children, aged from three to 12, during an incredibly challenging time.
oodstuffs’ ongoing commitment to supporting every ew ealander to access healthy and affordable food was behind its grant to the Cholmondeley Children’s Centre.
uring a stay, children en oy three nutritious meals a day, so when you’re feeding an average of 15 children a day, we go through a significant amount of food,” says Cooke.
This is why the generous grant from the oodstuffs
outh sland Community Trust is so valuable to us. t means we can continue our mission to make a meaningful and enduring difference in the lives of Canterbury children and their families.”
Community etworks Wanaka has seen a significant increase in demand for its services since ew ealand closed its borders last arch, halting international tourism the area relies on.
anager ate urray says many of the people seeking help haven’t accessed support services before.
think some of the big challenges have included the threat of the unknown and the sense of uncertainty. lot of people don’t know what is going to happen with their business or with their ob.”
With international travel significantly impacting trade, challenges continue to rise for the Wanaka community. Pre-Covid, the community foodbank was distributing about 2 parcels a month, by the end of 2 2 and into the first few months of this year, this number has increased to .
urray says the support received from the
oodstuffs outh sland Community Trust has helped them to meet increased demand.
We have had to upscale the foodbank to meet the increase in need here in Wanaka and we had limited space to do that. This grant meant we can give people dried and canned food from the foodbank and a
ew World voucher for them to buy their own fresh produce, meat and dairy products.”
urray says it’s positive for families to have some autonomy over choosing what they need, rather than having it decided for them.
s charities upscale their services to meet an increase in demand, oodstuffs
outh sland Community Trust continues to support these organisations and the work they’re doing to help combat food insecurity.
To apply for a grant from the Foodstuffs (South Island) Community Trust head to www.foodstuffs-si. co.nz/about-us/foodstuffscommunity-trust