Food boon fit for a President

By John Andrews

Needy Auckland families will be dining out on top-class food for the next day or two, thanks to Philippine President Joseph Estrada and his Apec delegation.

The Auckland Park Regency hotel in Greys Ave was left with more than $3000 worth of perishable food when dozens of Philippine delegates to the summit decided to switch to the Heritage Auckland hotel to join President Estrada on Saturday.

The general manager of the Park Regency, Kaye Martin, did not want to see the food - enough to feed 20 families for four days - go to waste.

The Auckland City Mission quickly snapped up her food offer.

After the 16 containers of meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and eggs were delivered to the mission's office in Hobson St yesterday, city missioner Diane Robertson said: "It is great quality fresh produce. We know we have received great produce coming from a hotel of that quality.

"It was a very pleasant surprise. We are busy distributing it to families.

"It's great to be able to bulk up our food parcels with fresh produce, which the mission usually has to buy."