Foodstuffs North Island celebrated five years of the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) with a NZD 90,000 funding commitment.
This was a three-year pledge to help the organisation keep food flowing to people and communities who need it most.
The funding, NZD 30,000 a year, will go towards supporting NZFN’s work with food banks, food hubs and social supermarkets around the country.
Jonathan Box, General Manager of Supply Chain at Foodstuffs North Island, said it was a meaningful way to recognise the work NZFN does every day.
“They make it easier for us to get good food where it’s needed, including to the social supermarkets we support, where local teams are doing incredible mahi for their communities. Huge happy birthday to the crew at NZFN, and thanks for everything you do.”
Foodstuffs North Island has been a long-standing partner of NZFN, donating close to 1,300 tonnes of surplus product, the equivalent of 3.5 million meals, over the past four years.
As part of that partnership, 138 tonnes of that food have been delivered by NZFN to Foodstuffs’ social supermarket partners in the North Island, helping stock shelves and provide real choice for whānau doing it tough.
"Foodstuffs North Island has been a great partner from the beginning, diverting surplus stock from its distribution centres to us so that we can get it out to our hubs across the country. This commitment to additional support for the next three years is a great way to kick off our next five years of partnership,” said NZFN CEO Gavin Findlay.
Foodstuffs Head of Membership Experience, Willa Hand, added that the co-operative especially appreciated NZFN’s work distributing donated stock to its social supermarket partners.
“With 14 social supermarkets spread across the North Island, getting donated product to our partners is a big challenge and one that NZFN helps us a lot with,” said Hand.
“We know how essential funding is, especially at a time when so many families are struggling with rising costs and food insecurity. This is our way of saying thank you, happy birthday, and we’ve got your back.”
The funding comes from Foodstuffs North Island’s Here for NZ Committee, which is supported by the owner-operators from Four Square, New World, PAK’nSAVE and Gilmours stores from across the North Island.
Foodstuffs North Island’s work with NZFN also supports the co-operative’s goal to be a sustainability leader.
