Canterbury Farmer Urges Peers to Back Meet the Need
For Canterbury dairy farmer Cameron Henderson, supporting Meet the Need comes down to a simple question: how can the success of New Zealand farming benefit more than just those within the industry?
50 volunteers travelled from far and wide to take part, including one Metallica fan who made the journey from New Jersey, USA.
They were joined by the team from Meet the Need, ambassador Ben Purua, and Fonterra - who supported the event - along with special guests Sir Michael Jones and his wife Maliena from The Village Community Services Trust.
Together, volunteers packed 1,022 food parcels, totalling 12,877kh (12.8 tonnes) of food.
Zellara Holden, Meet the Need general manager, says that seeing Metallica fans, Kiwi farmers and community leaders working together to help feed New Zealand was "incredibly moving".
“Meet the Need’s mission is to make sure no one goes hungry in Aotearoa, ensuring nutritous quality protein reaches communities who need it the most," Holden says.
"Today showed just how much impact is possible when passionate people come together. We’re deeply grateful to All Within My Hands and CNH, Case IH for helping bring this to life.”
New Zealand Food Network chief executive Gavin Findlay says his organisation was proud to play host to the collaboration.
“We’re honoured to welcome Meet the Need, AWMH, Sir Michael Jones, and the Metallica fan volunteers into our space,” says Findlay.
“Our mission is to ensure nutritious, quality food reaches the communities who need it most, and today’s event perfectly reflects that purpose. We know from our Food Hubs that pantry staples like meat and milk are highly sought after, so this is a prime example of how collaboration between organisations can create real impact for whānau across the country.”
The opportunity was made possible by Meet the Need partner CNH, who nominated Meet the Need as Metallica’s official charity partner for AWMH’s New Zealand activation, aligning their shared mission to tackle hunger and support resilient communities.
Meet the Need is a farmer-founded charity that sources donated meat and milk from Kiwi farmers and redistributes it through foodbanks and community organisations nationwide. Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation, established in 2017, continues to champion hunger relief, education, and community resilience around the world.
