Northland shoppers can now decide where thousands of dollars in local community funding goes each month, thanks to a new initiative being trialled at two Four Square stores.
Kicking off this month in Russell and Coopers Beach, the trial, called Here 4 Community, turns a regular shop into a chance to back local charities and community groups.
With each Four Square contributing between NZD 2,000 and NZD 2,500 every month to a local cause, customers can have a say in which matters most to them.
How it works:
- For every NZD 50 spent, customers receive a token to place in the display slot of one of three nominated community groups, giving them direct say in where the funding goes in their community
- At the end of each month, the group with the most tokens will receive the donation amount from their local Four Square store.
- The groups are changed each month so that a variety of community groups have the chance to receive funding.
The initiative comes at a time when many New Zealanders are feeling stretched by the cost of living, but still want to give back. By making it easy to contribute without any extra spending, Here 4 Community ensures local support continues to go where it’s needed most.
“This is our way of giving back, but we put the choice of who to support in the hands of our customers. Customers don’t have to do anything extra; they can just shop as normal and choose where their token goes,” said Four Square Russell owner, Glenn Wells.
This week, the store’s first three community partners, Russell School, Te Kura o Waikare and the Russell Fire Brigade, came together at Four Square Russell to connect and share what the initiative means to them.
The Here 4 Russell display has already received many customer contributions in its first week.
Four Square Coopers Beach has also selected its first three community partners, Donna Doolittle's Animal Rescue, Mangonui Volunteer Fire Brigade and Mangonui Community Patrol.
The Here 4Community initiative formed part of Four Square’s wider commitment to backing local communities, particularly through winter when many charities face increased demand for support.
Small actions at a local level can make a real difference, and Four Square hoped the initiative will inspire customers to continue backing the people and organisations that keep their communities going.
More from Foodstuffs North Island here
