Katikati Community Centre manager Allan Wainwright with SuperGrans manager Kristi Bryan are keen to encourage more people into volunteering.
Katikati Community Centre manager Allan Wainwright with SuperGrans manager Kristi Bryan are keen to encourage more people into volunteering.
A new 'volunteer brokerage service' which matches volunteers with organisations requiring help will be launched during volunteer week June 21-27 in Katikati, thanks to local kiwifruit and avocado orchardists who pack their fruit with DMS Progrowers Ltd.
The DMS Progrowers Charitable Trust is donating $5000 to the Katikati Community Centre to help establish the new service. The trust was formed in 2018 to support a variety of local community organisations.
Growers voluntarily contribute one or two cents per tray of fruit to the trust, and the money raised is then matched by DMS Progrowers Ltd, doubling the size of the overall contribution to local charities.
Katikati Community Centre manager Allan Wainwright says the donation is a wonderful surprise and will help cater to the growing demand on social services due to Covid-19.
"The lockdown really brought out a strong sense of community and we received many offers of help from the general public which was fantastic," Wainwright says.
"We were able to provide help to those who needed it, especially the elderly for things such as shopping and picking up prescriptions. It really highlighted the fact that there is a need for a volunteer brokerage service in Katikati.
"It was also evident during Covid-19 that a large majority of Katikati's volunteers are over the age of 70 and our objective is to encourage more people, including youth, into volunteering within our community while supporting our not-for-profit groups which heavily rely on volunteers."
The centre expects increased demand for its other social services such as counselling, but its traditional fundraising efforts have been hampered by the lockdown and loss of income.
"We were fortunate to receive the MSD wage subsidy yet we are expecting a downturn in funding from our traditional sources for the remainder of 2020.
"With many fundholders either putting funding on hold or withdrawing funding from not-for profit-groups, we count ourselves very fortunate. This money will make it easier for us to secure the needed resources to get the volunteer brokerage service up and running much quicker than initially expected."
DMS Progrowers Charitable Trust chairman, Andre Hickson.
Andre Hickson, chairman of the DMS Progrowers Charitable Trust, says by banding together, local growers are able to make a substantial contribution to charities that benefit the local community.
This year a total of $180,000 is being distributed to eight organisations. Waipuna Hospice will receive the largest cornerstone grant of $70,000 but Katikati's food bank ($5000) and St John ($30,000) will also receive funds which will benefit local residents.
"Many people helped support our industry through Psa and now it's our turn to support communities," Hickson says.
"We've all been very fortunate; we've had most of our fruit picked and while we've still got a long way to go in the season, growers are keen to help their community and give back in some way.
"You've just got to do, what you've got to do – that is how New Zealand has got through this crisis."
