Urgent call for financial donationsUnprecedented demand from families for food
Auckland: A central Auckland foodbank run by Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN) has been so overwhelmed by demand that its
shelves are almost bare and its freezers are almost empty.
With the current lockdown preventing public food donations, the organisation is calling for financial donations to allow
it to order food from supermarkets to give to those in need.
PSN Community Relationship Manager Anne Overton say demand is up by about a third compared to the first lockdown last
year.
“Many families were caught short by the sudden move into lockdown and had no time to prepare.
“Many parents who have low-paying contract jobs, such as cleaners, are unable to work. When you live week-to-week it
creates financial pressures that for some families are just too much,” says Overton.
The PSN Foodbank, located in Grafton, typically works on a referral model. Individuals and families are referred to the
foodbank by PSN staff, social workers in schools, district health boards and other support agencies. The Foodbank also
serves people who walk in from the street looking for help.
With lockdown preventing the movement of people, Overton says the traditional community food drive – where people drop
off food to the Foodbank – is no longer applicable.
“Instead of public donations of food, we’re asking for financial donations. We have a good relationship with a local
supermarket where we can buy large quantities of food and have it delivered to the Foodbank.
“The more financial donations we receive, the more food we can buy and the more families we can help during these tough
times.”
Overton says food purchased from supermarkets is supplemented by fresh produce donations from KiwiHarvest and potato and
onion supplier Wilcox.
“We’re always open to bulk donations from food manufacturers and meat suppliers, particularly fresh meat. Our chillers
and freezers are almost empty.”
During lockdown, food parcels are delivered by volunteers following strict Covid-19 safety protocols.
Overton says a large part of the demand is driven by schools that know which families in their catchment areas are in
need.
“Many schools are being proactive in supporting families of children – we recently provided 18 food parcels to one
Auckland school alone.
“The problem we have is there just isn’t enough food to go around. A local community radio station was advertising our
Foodbank to its listeners, but we had to ask them to stop as we simply don’t have food available.”
How to support
Financial donations to the PSN Foodbank can be made online here: https://www.familyworksnorthern.org.nz/donate
Make sure you click on Foodbank in the drop-down box.
Company or food manufacturer donations:
Contact PSN Community Relationship Manager Anne Overton on 027 520 8653, anne.overton@psn.org.nz.About the PSN foodbank
Imagine not being able to feed your family properly. For some this is due to extreme financial circumstances brought
about by redundancy or unemployment. At the emergency Foodbank we see the impact of poverty every day.
The need
Last financial year we distributed 2514 emergency parcels, which helped feed more than 8300 people including 4015
children. However, we receive no Government funding for this service. We depend on the generous support of the public
and philanthropic grants.
Your help today
Your support will help us provide an emergency food parcel to keep a family fed while immediate measures are taken to
find solutions.
Making a gift of $120 will provide a nutritious emergency food parcel to a financially disadvantaged family.
Need help to put food on the table?
Are you struggling financially? Finding it hard to feed yourself or your family during lockdown? An emergency food
parcel will help you get through the tough times.To get a food parcel
Please note, food parcels are only available on a referral basis. Please see (A) or (B) below:
(A) Ask the agency you are working with to refer you to us or
(B) Ask your family worker, social worker in schools or financial mentor at Family Works to refer you to us.Typical contents of a food parcel to feed a family of four include:
Fruit/ Soup
x2 Baked Beans
x1 Spaghetti
x2 Sweetcorn
x2 Tomatoes
x1 Tinned Fish
x1 Pasta
x10 Instant Noodles
x1 Long-life Milk
x2 Toilet Rolls x1 SoapPack
x1 Cereal
x1 Crackers
x1 Rice
x1 Peanut Butter
x1 Vegemite
x1 Bag of Teabags
x1 Bread (If available)
x1 Small Mince or other protein
x1 Margarine
x1 Toiletries (if available)
- Potatoes and Onions
- Fresh fruit and veges (if available).