Lack of funding a 'major challenge'
KiwiHarvest founder Deborah Manning says the food rescue charity is experiencing a significant challenge due to a lack of funding to support what she calls an essential service.
The bi-annual NZFN Food Security Snapshot surveyed 60 of NZFN’s partner Food Hubs about the current state of demand for food support from July – December 2023.
During 2023, NZFN supported an average of 630,000 individuals per month with food support via its Food Hubs’ various services (including food parcels, community meals, social supermarkets, free stores, recipient organisations).
On average, a third of the Food Hubs’ monthly recipients have never needed to seek their support before.
Tracy Wellington, chief executive of NZFN partner Food Hub, Kiwi Community Assistance (KCA) says demand from partner agencies is outstripping supply.
“In 2024, pretty much everything we collect from food rescue is gone within minutes of our trucks returning to our base,” Wellington says. “The stock from NZ Food Network is gone within 24 hours of its arrival.”
To meet this demand, the volume of food distributed by the hubs has more than doubled in July-December 2023, compared to the first half of last year, equating to 6,535,335 meals for vulnerable communities.
The Food Hubs rated their own ability to meet the current level of demand at 3.08 out of five, down from 3.15 in the last survey, and 3.45 in the previous.
90% of the Food Hubs stated the rising cost of living as a top reason for recipients seeking food support, followed by low household / individual income due to low-paying jobs (63%), and unexpected bills or expenses (58% up from 53%).
On average, 41% of the food distributed by Food Hubs was supplied by NZFN, and as the need grows, they will become increasingly reliant on NZFN to fill the shelves.
NZFN chief executive Gavin Findlay says the survey reveals a stark reality that the number of Kiwis struggling to access food continues to rise.
“And this is only set to worsen as we head into the colder months when families must find extra money to stay warm, dry, and deal with inevitable sickness,” Findlay says.
“More often than not, food falls to the bottom of the priority list, and is why we must continue to take action.”
As more and more families struggle to put food on the table, NZFN is calling for Kiwis to donate to its Pitch In campaign to (virtually) fill Eden Park with meals by World Food Day 2024.
The food rescue organization is asking food businesses and the public to pitch in with bulk food donations and financial donations to reach this goal.
Former All Black Piri Weepu is among a lineup of famous faces getting behind the campaign, including comedian Leigh Hart, rugby union player Sam Slade, and Special Olympics athlete Grace Payne.
“I’m really proud to be backing Pitch In, and after volunteering at the NZFN, I’ve seen firsthand the difference that their mahi is making across the motu,” Weepu says.
“We’re halfway to achieving our goal of filling the field, but we can’t stop the momentum now. So, remember that every donation counts, no matter how big or small,” he adds.
To make a bulk food or financial donation, visit pitchin.org.nz to learn more, and see how the New Zealand Food Network gets food to where it's needed most.
