Foodbank 2022

Foodbank C Collection

THIS WEDNESDAY

2 NOVEMBER, FROM 6PM

Rotary

helps bridge the food gap

From about 6pm on Wednesday 2 November 2022 you will hear sirens in the streets announcing the 22ndWairarapa Foodbank Collection.

The siren calls will urge you to donate non-perishable foods to your local foodbank. You could place a bag of items by your letterbox before the vehicles arrive in your street or rush out to meet the pick-up vehicles as they drive through.

The Foodbank Collection is a signature project for the Masterton South Rotary Club. “We want to support our communities and make sure people can eat and live well,” says Ben Moorcock, Managing Partner of Masterton’s LJ Hooker and Rotary’s lead organiser of the Foodbank Collection this year.

As well as Ben, Rotary’s 2022 Foodbank Collection committee is made up of Russell Carthew, Dick Hodson, Tiri Sotiri (President), and Robert Cameron.

The idea of a foodbank collection was seeded in the year 2000 by Masterton South Rotarians Russell Carthew and

Paddy Greville and Deputy Fire Chief Henry Stechman Since then, the seed of their idea has grown into a ˜ owering tree.

Carterton and South Wairarapa Rotary clubs have also become involved, to create a regionwide collection.

“We were ahead of the curve”, says Russell Carthew, “in recognising the need to support Masterton’s foodbank. In the year 2000, foodbanks had very little visibility. Today, foodbanks are an integral part of our society and an essential link in the food chain.”

For 22 years, Masterton South Rotary has teamed up with ÿ rst responders Fire and Emergency, Police, and Ambulance to help with the collection. This partnership between Rotary clubs and ÿ rst responders has also been rolled out across the other districts in the Wairarapa.

“First responders are often those who see human need at its most desperate,” says Justin Long, senior ÿ re o˛ cer at Masterton’s ÿ re station and long-time volunteer for the Foodbank Collection. “It’s an opportunity to help people in need. Fire and Emergency New Zealand is proud to support the Foodbank Collection.”

Back in 2019, NZ’s Food Network counted half a million New Zealanders living

without reliable, daily access to a˝ ordable and nutritious food. Today, that ÿ gure is estimated to have now doubled.

In last year’s appeal, 500 banana boxes of goods were collected for the Masterton Foodbank alone, compared with 310 the year before.

Russell Carthew says the annual November Foodbank Collection aims to keep the foodbanks stocked over Christmas and the New Year – a period that can be particularly tough ÿ nancially for some families.

The collection is a wellsupported and well-oiled machine. Supermarkets donate banana boxes. Councils and Civil Defence support Rotary by providing up to date maps. Residential streets are

allocated into areas (24 areas in Masterton alone). In each area, a noisemaking ÿ rst responder will move through the streets from 6pm on Wednesday 2November, accompanied by a collection vehicle with a trailer and a bevy of strapping students from Wairarapa colleges and the Masterton Boxing Academy, to collect your donations.

Once collected, the food is taken to Masterton’s ÿ re station – the perfect place for multiple vehicles to drive in, drop o˝ , and drive out. The ÿ re station could not be used in last year’s appeal due to COVID restrictions and was sorely missed.

“This is a really important e˝ ort which brings together di˝ erent

groups in the community to support the foodbank which, in turn, gives so much back to the community,” says Tiri Sotiri, President of the Masterton South Rotary Club.

Normally, the collection takes place on the second Wednesday each November. This year, the date has shifted to the ÿ rst Wednesday in November.

“If you miss the Foodbank Collection on the day,” Ben Moorcock says, “you can drop donations o˝ atMasterton Foodbank on Church St, Paper Plus, oryour local library.”

With any questions about this event, phone Ben Moorcock on 027 476 8283 or Rob Cameron on 027 658 4808.

Rotary’s ‘bridging the gap’ team - Ben, Russell, Dick, Tiri (President) and Robert

2022

ANNUAL Foodbank Collection

is the hero

The 22nd Wairarapa Foodbank Collection coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Masterton Foodbank and the 20th anniversary of local businessman Steve Sale’s volunteering for the Masterton Foodbank. Steve now shepherds the foodbank’s growth as its chairperson, ably supported by manager Jenna Matchett and dozens of volunteers.

“When COVID hit, demand for food support increased dramatically,” Jenna says. Two-and-a-half years on and demand for food parcels has barely changed. “The COVID struggle has been replaced with the cost-of-living struggle.” What has changed, however, are the number of people approaching the foodbank who would previously never have needed assistance with feeding their families.

“We are here for everyone, no questions asked, no judgements made,” Jenna says with passion. She describes

how hard it can be for some people to come into the foodbank, how they can be nervous, tense, and tearful.

“The relief is evident when they learn they’ll be able to feed their children that week.”

Currently, the foodbank gives out about 125 food parcels each week. The annual Wairarapa Foodbank Collection is critical to achieving that.

The 500 banana boxes from last year’s Collection, once combined with donations from supermarkets, farmers, garden markets, restaurants, cafes and other sources - either directly

or through Waiwaste - kept the foodbank going for about ten weeks over the Christmas and New Year period.

“Most of us are only two negative events away from ÿ nding ourselves in di° erent, less a˛ uent, circumstances,” Jenna says. “Many people recognise that, and their contributions to the Foodbank Collection are a demonstration of their humanity. Our foodbank becomes the temporary custodian of the donations as they pass from the community, through us, to people in need.” Donated

food can reach people in need either through food parcels or via Masterton’s community kitchen, right next door to the foodbank.

Another demonstration of humanity is the groundswell of volunteers willing to assist the Foodbank. Steve and Jenna have nominated two of their volunteers for a shout-out:

• Evelyn Skeet – celebrating her 80th birthday, Evelyn has been a Masterton Foodbank volunteer for more than 20 years. She also has many years of volunteering for hospice behind her.

• Linda Bouton – turning 90 years old, Linda has volunteered with the Masterton Foodbank for nearly ten years. She has previously volunteered with Waiwaste and worked overseas with Mother Theresa.

If you are interested in being a foodbank volunteer, call Jenna on 06 370 8034 or email her on mastertonfoodbank@gmail.com (this email is for correspondence only not referrals).

If you would like to donate to the Masterton Foodbank outside of the Foodbank

Collection on 2 November 2022, you can drop items o° to the foodbank’s Give Life backdoor in Cricket Street, o° Dixon Street, between 8.30am and 12.30pm Monday to Friday.

If you need a food parcel, you can call 06 370 8034 before 9.30am Monday to Friday. Pick up your parcel from the foodbank’s Church Street entrance between 10am and 12.30pm on the same day.

Please bring along ID and proof of your address.

If you would not eat it, do not donate it to the Foodbank. That’s a good rule of thumb to ensure quality items go to those needing the most help. Please ensure items are not past their use-by date, cans are not rusted, and packages are intact.

Non-perishable food is the best way for you to help. Many local businesses already generously donate foods such as bread, fruit, eggs, vegetables, and meat, either directly or through Waiwaste. Here are some ideas for non-perishable donations:

BREAKFASTS

Long-life milk

Breakfast cereals such as corn˜ akes and Wheetbix Marmite/honey/peanut butter/jam

SCHOOL LUNCHES

Crackers

Biscuits

Muesli or fruit bars

Useful items to donate to FoodBank the Masterton Foodbank – the community

Pottles of fruit/small juices

Snack packs

Dried fruit and nuts

LUNCHES & DINNERS

Rice/risotto

Dried pasta e.g., spaghetti, noodles, penne Pasta sauce

Coconut cream

Tinned tuna

Cans of soup/savoury meals/ corned beef

Cans of spaghetti/baked beans/tomatoes/creamed corn

Cans of fruit/creamed rice

Tomato sauce

Tea bags/co° ee/milo Bags of ˜ our/sugar

Bottles of oil

Cheese sauce sachets/sachets for meals such as spaghetti Bolognese, curried sausages, nachos etc

STAPLES

Toilet paper

Washing powder

Dishwashing liquid

Toothpaste and toothbrushes

Shampoo and conditioner

Hygiene products

Baby formula, food, wipes, and nappies

Give Food Give Life at Masterton Foodbank

Jenna and Steve in charge of the smooth running of Masterton’s Foodbank

2022 ANNUAL Foodbank Collection

While supporting Carterton Foodbank Wearing many hats

Members of the Carterton Foodbank and Carterton Rotary wear many hats across both organisations, but also across other local endeavours. This is a community that gives.

“The Carterton community is so generous,” says John Vallely, coordinator at Carterton’s Foodbank and project manager of Carterton’s Foodbank Collection. “The energy and engagement of people in this town is amazing.”

The lead-up to the Foodbank Collection to be held on 2 November 2022 is evidence of this. Fire and Emergency, St John’s Ambulance, and the Police have agreed to sound their sirens and entice us to donate. Dozens of Girl Guides, Scouts, Air Scouts, and many others have put their hands up to be runners on the

night - to heft donations onto trailers driven by even more volunteers. Members of Rotary and the foodbank will work the drop-o˜ point for donations at ‘The Hub’ behind Carterton Council’s Event Centre. The Youth Group is providing a sausage sizzle. Food poverty is serious but donating and volunteering to help families in need doesn’t have to be.

“The way the community pulls together and makes this a fun event - especially for the kidsis admirable,” says Steve Laurence, local businessman, Councillor, and Carterton Rotary’s liaison with the local foodbank.

Re° ecting on last year’s Foodbank Collection, John Reeve, President of Carterton Rotary, agrees. “There is a buzz on the night and the food comes in at a real clip. Some of the young people become little energiser bunnies, they don’t want to stop!”

The Carterton Foodbank’s team anticipates collecting 50 or more banana boxes of donations this year and the problem will then be where to

store it all for a while.

“That’s a good problem to have,” says Helena O’Connor, President of the Carterton Foodbank since stepping into the shoes of long-time President and recent Queens Service Medal recipient, Yvonne O’Dowd. “And the boxes won’t last long.”

Like other foodbanks, Carterton has found that donations from the Collection cover a period of increased need – Christmas and New Year. During school term time, the foodbank generally

gives out 15 food parcels a week. During school holidays, however, that number can double.

Carterton Foodbank has been a Ministry of Social Development-accredited food supplier to people selfisolating because of COVID. MSD endorses the Zero Hunger Collective’s recommendation that each food parcel should account for four people, for three meals a day, for four days.

“Food poverty remains high even as the e˜ ects of COVID

are diminishing,” Helena says. “People have lost their jobs or had their hours reduced, and the cost of living has gone up.”

Throughout the year, people and businesses continue to support the foodbank with dollar donations or free food.

Shout-outs go to the New World Supermarket, Wild Oats Café, Clareville Bakery, Wairarapa Eggs, Waiwaste, and local market gardens. John Vallely also praises the work of Meat the Need, set up by farmers to

supply foodbanks around the country, including Carterton, with free mince and milk products. Meat the Need has just surpassed the milestone of one million mince meals.

A community garden surrounding the foodbank is used by the foodbank but is also open to the public. The garden is maintained by volunteers and the herb garden is looked after by Carterton’s Herb Society.

Please give generously to the Foodbank Collection on

2November. If it’s raining, please meet the collectors at the gate with your donations.

If you’d like to volunteer for the Foodbank Collection on 2 November, please turn up at ‘The Hub’ behind the Carterton Event Centre around 6pm.

If you need a food parcel, you can call 06 379 4092 before 10.00am Monday to Friday and then pick the parcel up from Haumanu House behind the Clock Tower, between 10.30am and 11am.

Working at the foodbank Sally (volunteer), John Vallely (coordinator), Helena O’Connor (President) with Olive, and Kevin Conroy (volunteer)

Rotary lending a hand - Kevin Conroy (Secretary), John Reeve (President), and Steve Laurence (liaison)

Herb garden tended by the Herb Society, including Steve Laurence

Entrance to the Carterton Community Garden

2022

ANNUAL Foodbank Collection

They are a changin’ at Featherston Foodbank

“Not long ago,” says Erin McBride, Manager of Featherston’s Foodbank, “donations from the Annual Foodbank Collection got us through the year. Now, they see us through Christmas.”

That re˜ ects an increase in demand rather than a decrease in the amount of food donated.

Five months into the 2022 year, the foodbank distributed the same number of parcels as for the full 12 months of the previous year. Featherston’s geographic area stretches from Ngawi to Greytown, which doesn’t have a foodbank.

Of the 25 parcels now requested each week, about ten need to be delivered to families, because people are unable to pick them up.

Elaine Corlett, Assistant Manager of the Featherston Foodbank says, “Many families don’t have a vehicle or, if they do, they can’t always a° ord to run it. This year’s Foodbank Collection is more important than ever,” Tamara Allerhand,

President of South Wairarapa’s Rotary, says. “It is always heartwarming to see how the community gives. Every donation is appreciated.”

Last year, a 40-foot shipping container was ÿ lled to the brim during the Collection. The expectation for this year is similar. Volunteers will meet at the Featherston Fire Station before 6pm on 2 November.

Rotarians with cars and trailers will team up with noisemaking ÿ rst responders. The foodbank at 69 Boundary Road (opposite the timber mill) will be the drop-o° point. The site has great access and excellent storage.

Tamara says, “South Wairarapa’s Rotary club recognises the important role of the Featherston Foodbank in the community and is proud to support it.”

Working closely with Featherston’s Community Centre, the foodbank now provides a soup kitchen in the winter. Eating food together is a great way for people to break the ice and build friendships as they wait for their parcels.

Featherston’s Own Charitable Trust overseas the foodbank.

“Without the support of the Trust and its chairperson Sally Walker,” Erin says, “and without the community’s donations, the foodbank would struggle to support families experiencing food poverty.”

Food poverty is di˝ cult for many people to own up to, with some people tearing up when they come in and are greeted with warmth and non-judgement.

“You can tell that many people feel like failures the ÿ rst couple of times they come to

us,” Elaine says. “They’re not failures. They’re going through a di˝ cult patch and have the right to be treated with compassion.”

When they come out the other side, she says, people who have used the foodbank can become some of its most generous donators. They give back.

To donate on the night of Wednesday 2November 2022, be out at your gate with your donations when you hear the sirens after 6pm.

Financial donations can be made to Sth Wai Foodbank Kiwibank 38-9020-0577385-00.

If you’d like a food parcel, pop into 69 Boundary Road between 1.30pm and 2.30pm on Tuesdays and Thursday or call 022 646 3702.

Emergency parcels are possible on other days.

Martinborough

Foodbank – from small beginnings

Opening at the end of 2019, the Martinborough Foodbank originally packed three food parcels a week for families in need. By February 2022, that number had risen to an average of 33 a week. The September average was 43 a week.

The Foodbank Collection on 2 November 2022 will signiÿ cantly boost the sustainability of the foodbank which relies on the generosity of businesses, families, and individuals. South Wairarapa’s Rotary is busy organising the collection for Martinborough as well as Featherston. The ÿ rst responders and other supporters are ready to go, and many of the foodbank’s 22 volunteers will be back at base at the Old Masonic Hall in Strasbourge Street, unpacking and storing donations as they come in.

Martinborough’s foodbank sees itself as bridging a food gap for families when no amount of budgeting will make ends meet. “Our customers include larger families, single parents, and people who cannot work because they are sick and need treatment,” says May Croft, co-organiser with husband Peter. As May speaks, a young mother arrives. She looks uncertain but is warmly welcomed. “We aim to operate at the top of the cli° rather than be the ambulance at the bottom of the cli° helping to prevent people from sliding into a worse situation,” May says.

Peter Croft buys the food and is amazed by the generosity of Pain & Kershaws, Kitchener’s Dairy, Martinborough Bakery,

Cartel, Pinehaven Orchard, the NZ Food Collective, and Waiwaste. The two South Wairarapa foodbanks – Martinborough and Featherston – also share food, resources, and assistance.

Unlike other Wairarapa foodbanks, Martinborough operates a pantry system whereby people needing assistance with food identify the size of their family and get allocated a speciÿ c dollar value of foodbank dollars to ‘spend’ each time they request a food parcel. Ready-made meals and packs of ingredients to make a speciÿ ed recipe are also available as part of this system. The approach helps build budgeting and cooking skills.

The foodbank has become a hub of wider support for those in need. May and Peter Croft have watched trust grow from locals who now feel able to ask for assistance with ÿ lling out forms or when they need an advocate. Sometimes, they provide transport to appointments

Please Come In - May Croft,

when no other option is available.

If you need a food parcel, please email martinboroughfoodbank@gmail.com or call 021 222 6181, any time, to get a request form.

You can pick your parcel up from 39 Strasbourge Street in Martinborough between 1pm and 3.30pm on a Wednesday.

• Donate food by putting items in the foodbank basket at Pain & Kershaws Supermarket in Martinborough Square.

• Financial donations can be made direct to Martinborough Foodbank at ANZ 06-0541-0892873-00.

Most of us want to give back or pay forward, understanding that any community is only as strong as its weakest links. May and Peter Croft have taken this approach to a higher level.

Their initial foray into the Martinborough community was in the late 1990s, building a vineyard and developing a thriving business: Croft Wines. The success of Croft Wines was in no small part due to Peter’s business acumen.

Until 2002, Peter was Managing Partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. May had her own career as Anglican Archdeacon in the Wairarapa and Anglican Parish Priest for South Wairarapa, not retiring until the end of 2019. All the while, May and Peter raised two children and a ‘bonus’ foster child.

By 2019, Peter Croft was already involved in food rescue in South Wairarapa, and so the idea for a foodbank began and become reality. Within months the pandemic took hold, and the foodbank became instantly critical.

While co-organiser of the Martinborough Foodbank, May Croft continues to serve the community including as a board member of the Wairarapa Families Anglican Trust – supporting social services initiatives in the Wairarapa to do with young people and families. This is possible because of the income earned by the Trust from renting out its Academy apartments on the corner of Masterton’s Queen and Church streets. As with other ventures in which the Crofts are involved, a melding of business savvy and caring for the community has compelling outcomes.

ABOVE LEFT: Tamara Allerhand (President South Wairarapa Rotary) donating to Elaine Corlett (Featherston Foodbank Assistant Manager). ABOVE RIGHT: Erin McBride (Manager, Featherston Foodbank) and Elaine Corlett stocking the shelves.

Volunteers Kate, Anne and Phyll, and Peter Croft

Hard at work in the Martinborough Foodbank

FoodbankCollection

Why waste?

“It’s a record. Waiwaste delivered 40 tonnes of food to the Masterton Foodbank alone in the last twelve months,” Geo˜ Roberts says. “That’s double the amount of the previous twelve months.”

Feed people not landÿ lls

Geo˜ (coordinator), Laura Garland (operations coordinator), a team of ÿ fteen volunteers, and two electric vans, rescue food that is good enough to eat but not able to be sold.

Waiwaste is grateful to Countdown, PAK‘nSAVE, New World and Moore Wilsons for their ongoing commitment to its vision.

Other regular donations come from farmers, market gardeners, bakeries, fast food outlets, cafes, and restaurants.

Waiwaste is a designated Food Hub collaborating with New Zealand’s Food Network. “During COVID,” Geo˜ says, “Ministry of Social Development grants enabled the Food Network to purchase surplus wholesale food and distribute

it through its Hubs. The amount of food Waiwaste received increased threefold.” Dedicated to reducing food poverty as well as decreasing food waste, Waiwaste supplies food to the four foodbanks in the Wairarapa. Today, it distributes more food than ever to the foodbanks and Masterton’s community kitchen but has also broadened its reach to include Project Maanaki’s shelter for the homeless, St Matthew’s day drop-in centre, groups supporting people in temporary housing such as Emerge Aotearoa and Yellow Brick Road, and other community groups.

Demand for food support remains high, as can be seen from the number of food parcels required across the Wairarapa’s four foodbanks each week – more than 200 a week (equating to more than 10,000 a year) and rising.

In support of November’s Foodbank Appeal this year, Waiwaste will be out on the streets in its electric vans, supporting Rotary and the ÿ rst responders and collecting your donations.

To ÿ nd out more about Waiwaste or donate food, visit www.waiwaste.org. nz, email enquiries@ waiwaste.org.nz, or call 020 492 4000.

Geo˜ , Laura and Gary loading the Wai Waste van and having fun too.