Gizzy Kai Rescue nourishes communities while minimising food waste

Waste not, want not: Gizzy Kai Rescue members celebrate the organisation’s fifth birthday. Co-founders Sarah Punnett, Michele Ferrere and Alena Swannell are surrounded by volunteers. Picture by Liam Clayton

Connecting food growers, producers and vendors to local community groups to redistribute rescued food to those in need is at the heart of Gizzy Kai Rescue. Gillian Cowperthwaite talks to the founders.

The Gisborne not-for-profit food rescue organisation is a registered charitable trust, governed by a board of trustees.

A solid team of volunteers carry out the work of rescuing healthy edible food that is otherwise destined to become landfill or animal feed. Their purpose is to nourish the community while minimising food waste.

The organisation celebrated its fifth year in operation this week with a gathering of individuals, volunteers, community organisations and businesses that have been involved in the substantial growth of this service.

The food rescue service began as an idea and conversation between Michele Ferrere, Alena Swannell and Sarah Punnett, who were all involved with another charity organisation. That conversation led to 18 months of research and planning until Gizzy Kai Rescue opened its doors in Palmerston Road on October 31, 2018, ready to receive food to redistribute to community groups.

“Alena, Sarah and I had all been thinking about ways to minimise food waste and support those in need in our community and once we started the conversation about it, we set out to find out about how we could do this thing. We all brought different strengths to the equation — Sarah with her restaurant management experience, Alena with knowledge and experience with community groups, and I have experience working in horticulture and a passion for food,” said Michele.

As part of their research, the founding team visited New Zealand’s well-established first food rescue organisation, Kaibosh Food Rescue in Wellington, for advice, ideas and support about how to create a food rescue service.

They also received a lot of support and advice from Satisfy Food Rescue in North Canterbury.

During the planning stages they were secured seed funding from Te Pūtea Whakamauru Para Waste Minimisation Fund which is funded by the government and administered by the Gisborne District Council, which enabled them to get the organisation off the ground. They also received funding from the Eastern Community Trust (ECT).

“In our first year of operation we relied totally on volunteers and their vehicles to collect the food donations from different businesses, growers and producers. Pak’nSave and Countdown supermarkets got on board from the get-go to donate food, and thanks to our volunteers we could provide a consistent service to pick up donated kai,” Michele said.

“Gizzy Kai Rescue now has a van for pick-up purposes. This was made possible from grants and donations from Zeafruit, Pak’nSave and Countdown. Having the van has been a game changer.”

Vehicle running costs for the first year were covered through a grant from the Sunrise Foundation.

The organisation has grown steadily over the past five years and during that time they have had the ability to change, adapt and pivot to the needs of the community. The number of food suppliers has increased which has enabled an increase in the number of registered recipient community groups. More food means reaching more people in the community. Approximately 13 local businesses are donating food on either a regular or seasonal basis. The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN), a national organisation that receives bulk surplus food to redistribute to communities who need it, delivers between two to four pallets a week to Gizzy Kai Rescue.

The concept of passing donated kai on to registered groups ensures that the food is going to those in the community who most need it and these community groups are then able to provide their clients with a wrap-around service and follow up if required.

The first community groups to receive donated kai from Gizzy Kai Rescue were Supergrans Tairāwhiti, The House of Breakthrough and Te Hapara Family Services. Over the past five years that number has increased to over 15 community groups who receive kai to distribute to their clients.

There have also been changes in the running of the service. Sarah stepped back to establish another charity organisation and Michele and Alena are no longer part of the day-to-day running of the service. However, they remain passionate about the organisation and are both on the board of trustees. In January 2020, Lauren Beattie was employed as manager of Gizzy Kai Rescue.

Michele said: “As the service began to grow, with more food donors and supporters coming on board, we realised we needed a manager to take this service to the next level, which is what Lauren has done.”

Lauren brought with her a wealth of experience, knowledge, skills and a background in both the corporate world and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

She said when she came into the role in January 2020, she had the advantage that a strong foundation had already been set, which meant she had a great base to work from.

“It’s the people and the collaboration of community groups that really make this organisation thrive, from the founders and the board of trustees to our volunteers, food donors and community group recipients. Our service is reliant on passionate and connected people supporting each other and coming together. Communication ensures that the systems we have put in place work for everyone involved,” Lauren said.

During her time as manager Lauren has had the challenges of dealing with Covid-19 lockdowns and earlier this year the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We were considered an essential service during Covid so we used our ability to pivot and adapt to the changing requirements brought about by Covid restrictions. After Cyclone Gabrielle we contributed to supplying welfare and evacuation centres,” said Lauren.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of Gizzy Kai Rescue and ensure the food collection, sorting and delivery to recipient groups is a streamlined operation.

“Our volunteers are what make this place thrive and their contribution to our service means we can achieve the outcomes we are experiencing,” Lauren said.

“On average we rescue and redistribute 5000 kilograms of food per month. During Covid lockdowns that amount soared to 14,000kg a month.

“Since 2018 Gizzy Kai Rescue has redistributed 300 tonnes of kai. We have over 35 volunteers working on a roster system.

“Volunteering can involve driving to pick up donated food or working on site to sort, process and box the food as it comes in.

“Kai is collected every morning at 8am from food donors and we offer a seven-day a week operation for pick-up. Food sorting is completed six days a week. Everything that comes in is measured and recorded so we are able to qualify and quantify collected data.

“We also have other volunteer roles available such as cleaners, plant maintenance and a handy person for odd jobs. We are so grateful to our team of volunteers for working collaboratively in an environment that is safe, fun and nurtures relationships and we would welcome anyone who might be interested in joining our team” Lauren said.

Gizzy Kai Rescue is a member of Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance (AFRA), which was established in 2021 to support and offer advocacy for groups working in the food rescue sector throughout New Zealand. The resources and support given by AFRA mean the team at Gizzy Kai Rescue feel connected to a wider nationwide network of groups working towards social and environmental resilience.

Gizzy Kai Rescue has come a long way in five years. The first donation they received back in 2018 to distribute was a few boxes of the Kiwi staple Weetbix and that has morphed into the redistribution of 5000 kilograms of nourishing food per month — a lot of growth in five years through sheer determination, social conscience and the collaborative desire for “no waste, no hunger.”