10th May 2017

AUCKLAND CITY MISSION MEDIA RELEASE

What kind of a mum visits the Mission for a food parcel?

…A caring and resourceful one, according to the Auckland City Mission.

The average mum visiting the Auckland City Mission for a food parcel has $23.75 left in her bank account to spend per person, per week on grocery items. That’s just $3.39 per person, per day. This is after rent, utilities and any debt repayments have been made.

According to Statistics New Zealand, the average kiwi family spends $218.40 each week on food. Assuming there are four people per family, this is more than twice the amount that a typical foodbank client has.

And no, it’s not because Mission parents are bad at budgeting, says Auckland City Missioner, Chris Farrelly.

“Around 65% of the people who visit the Mission for food support only come once or twice in their life,” he says. “This is absolutely a situation where something unexpected has thrown a low-income family into the financial deep end. Maybe the car broke down; maybe there was an increase in childcare costs over the school holidays – for whatever reason, the budget just didn’t stretch and they need a bit of help to make it through the week.”

Many of the people who visit the organisation’s foodbanks are employed, studying, or even elderly grandparents raising grandchildren, according to Mr Farrelly.

“It’s incredible how resourceful people are when it comes to supporting their families on next to no money. As any parent will know, it’s awful to think of your child missing out on quality education, proper nutrition, or healthcare simply because of a difficult financial situation. Many of the parents who visit the Mission are exhausted, stressed out and just desperate for some kind of help.”

Around 80% of the people who visit the Mission’s Crisis Care and Community Service, which provides emergency food support for families in crises, are women raising children.

Many of the staff members and volunteers at Crisis Care harbour memories of mothers who have visited and the stories they’ve told. Many have skipped meals in order to ensure their children have something to eat; others have put off visiting the doctor even when suffering horrific illnesses, due to the potential cost.

One staff member recalls the shame a young mother felt when she had to ask for feminine hygiene products, because they simply didn’t fit into her miniscule weekly budget.

“This is something no woman wants to have to ask a stranger for,” says General Manager of Social Services, Helen Robinson. “But the reality is that these kinds of essential items are unaffordable for someone who has less than $24 to spend on groceries for a whole week.”

This Mother’s Day, the Mission is asking Aucklanders to make a donation of any amount as a gift to all Auckland mums.

“Asking for help shouldn’t be stigmatised, especially when the people asking are largely responsible for raising the next generation of kiwis,” says Mr Farrelly. “It takes a village to raise a single child, according to the old saying, so surely a city as generous as ours can make sure our struggling mums – and dads – are supported.”

ENDS

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