Foodstuffs North Island has donated $10,000 to both Nourished for Nil and Gizzy Kai Rescue to help both organisations continue to provide much-needed support to the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne communities.
Willa Hand, Foodstuffs North Island Head of Membership Experience, said the donation was part of the co-operative's ongoing commitment to be HereforNZ, ensuring New Zealanders have access to healthy and affordable food.
“Food rescue organisations are an important partner for us, helping redirect food to the community that would otherwise have gone to landfill,” said Hand.
“The work of Nourished for Nil and Gizzy Kai Rescue is essential, and we’ve already built great relationships through the support provided by our local PAK’nSAVE and New World supermarkets, but we wanted to contribute even more to their important work.”
Nourished for Nil is a Napier-based organisation that offers pre-made food parcels through its free store and emergency parcels through its food bank. It also operates Hawke’s Bays' first social supermarket, which was opened in partnership with Foodstuffs last year.
Christina McBeth, Chief Executive of Nourished for Nil, said the grant was a lovely surprise.
“Foodstuffs North Island has been a great partner, and their ongoing support is invaluable. This grant means we have an unexpected $10,000 that we don’t have to pull from our reserves or have to go out into the community to find,” said McBeth.
“We are always looking to improve the customer experience at our depot by improving the space where people queue and also for our volunteers. Having the means to purchase with money such as this is gold."
Gizzy Kai Rescue is a Gisborne-based food rescue with a dedicated volunteer team. Through partnerships with supermarkets like PAK’nSAVE Gisborne, they collect surplus food nearing its best-before date and redistribute it to local agencies and community groups.
Lauren Beattie, Gizzy Kai Rescue Charitable Trust Manager, added that the grant further highlighted the value of the food rescue partnership and its work in the community.
“When we heard about the grant, it was welcome news. Foodstuffs North Island has great relationships with food rescue and knows where the need is. They recognised that we needed support following last year's craziness and reached out. It was incredibly heartening to receive this generous grant,” said Beattie.
“The funding grant will help us continue to operate sustainably and continue our service. It's a relief to know we are supported and can continue to focus on our good work.”
Foodstuffs North Island and its Here for NZ fund support reducing waste and emissions and redirecting surplus for communities in need. This year, Foodstuffs North Island has provided donations to 14 Food Rescues, totalling $140,000.
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