Good food and improved health go hand in hand for Manu Ora Medical Centre in Blenheim.
Manu Ora GP Dr Sara Simmons said that when the clinic first opened, the team quickly realised that supporting families' health also meant understanding and responding to the challenges they faced in daily life.
That’s when the pātaka kai, or pantry, idea came about, adding another strand to their holistic, family-centred approach.
“We quickly saw that health doesn’t sit separately from everything else happening in people’s lives. When families are facing pressures like not having enough food at home, it can be so much harder to focus on their own health and wellbeing,” said Dr Simmons.
With PAK’nSAVE Blenheim sponsoring Manu Ora’s application, the Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust has provided Manu Ora with NZD 5,000 in PAK'nSAVE, New World and Four Square gift cards to help keep their pantry stocked.
”It’s become a meaningful part of Manu Ora’s ‘kete of care’ and an example of our approach to hauora, built on the understanding that good health takes more than just a prescription,” added Dr Simmons.
"A lot of what we do is provide a safe space for people to come and talk about what's going on in their lives. Sometimes it's about listening, and sometimes it's being able to say, 'take a bag and fill it with whatever you need.”
Additionally, people also contribute themselves, bringing in things like eggs from their chickens or fruit and vegetables they've grown at home, and this spirit of sharing and reciprocity has helped it become a place where families can both receive support and contribute to the wellbeing of others.
Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust Chairperson Lucy Boock said Manu Ora was a great example of a local organisation responding to a very real community need.
The FSSI Community Trust prioritises funding for organisations that increase access to healthy food and support South Island communities to thrive, and Manu Ora does exactly that.
Boock was proud that contributions from family-owned New World, PAK'nSAVE and Four Square stores make it possible for the Trust to help Manu Ora stock their pantry with healthy food.
The Trust meets four times each year and welcomes applications from charities and initiatives that align with its priorities.
More from Foodstuffs South Island here
