Banding together to feed those in need
A new initiative has managed to reduce food waste and help hundreds of people in a surprising amount of time.
The Warkworth Rotary and Lions Clubs have come together and started Warkworth Food Rescue north of Auckland.
Since July, the clubs have managed to get multiple supermarkets and individuals on board to help families in need and supply them with boxes of food.
Volunteers pick up food from residents, local businesses and supermarkets each day. From there, they sort the food and pass it on to Mahu Vision Community Trust’s Roger Mickay to distribute.
The group has managed to send off five tons of perishable goods to families in areas surrounding Wellsford and Warkworth.
Rotary member and organiser, Joe Koppens is one of the 60 volunteers and believes the initiative is growing fast.
‘‘We pick up and distribute the food seven days a week. We will continue to do this until there is no more need, we want other groups up north to catch on and start doing the same thing,’’ he says.
The groups have been given a free lease from the Justice Department to work from the Warkworth Court House to make this possible.
All the food is distributed via social services, community groups, schools and churches.
Food that can be stored goes
‘‘We give people a helping hand and help get people through rough times or help set them up in the area’’
into the Food Bank for desperate families and some is kept for Christmas.
‘‘It is just another way that we are serving the community and is a way of saving food and giving it to people who need it,’’ Koppens says.
Mickay says that families appreciate all the help they can get, whether they genuinely have no money or a just going through a rough time.
‘‘A lot of people do not have much. One family that we gave to was trying to survive off $7 a week after all their bills were paid,’’ Mickay says.
Mickay says with the Food Bank they ‘‘distribute around one box a day and with the Warkworth Food Rescue, they are able to deliver around six boxes a day which makes a huge difference.’’
‘‘Warkworth Food Rescue has allowed us to reach more people, more often,’’ he says.