Families in hardship are in urgent need of food as they struggle in the ‘hardest lockdown yet’, teachers say. KidsCan contacted schools and early childhood centres in areas hit by positive Covid-19 cases, with heartbreaking responses.

“I was lying awake last night unable to sleep trying to come up with a plan to help our whānau as the lockdown extension means critical support is now needed. We have 25 families that require food support, and I am at a loss of how to help them,” one early childhood teacher wrote to KidsCan.

“We just can’t afford to buy enough food, there are hardly any cheap things in the supermarket because they are all sold out, so we have to buy the expensive brands,” a parent wrote to their kindergarten.

“Our whānau are struggling with transport, money, being a solo parent, overcrowded houses, emergency houses and supermarkets closing in their area as they were on the list of locations of interest,” another teacher wrote.

In response, KidsCan aims to deliver 2500 food parcels to families in hardship in communities in Auckland and Wellington affected by outbreaks of Covid-19.

“The children in these families would have been fed breakfast, snacks and lunch at early childhood centres and school every day,” KidsCan’s CEO Julie Chapman says. “Now, suddenly, their parents are having to find extra money for food in budgets that most people would struggle to survive on.

“We’re urging Kiwis who are in a position to help to once again donate $19 to turn Covid-19 into something positive – please visit www.19for19.org.nz and be part of the KidsCan village.”

The $200 food parcels, from Foodbox, will be delivered directly to families needing support. Each parcel contains around 40kg of food, including bread, cheese, milk, butter, 2kg of fresh fruit and more than 6kg of fresh vegetables, 1kg of mince, two chickens, sausages, a tray of eggs, and pantry staples like olive oil, flour, baked beans, tinned fruit and vegetables, rice, oats, pasta, and pasta sauce.

The parcels are being delivered by Kiwi Express Couriers, a division of Freightways. As proud Principal Partner, Meridian Energy is paying for all associated campaign costs, as well as the first 100 boxes.

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