Staff at Kaibosh in Paraparaumu. Photo / Jenn Hadley
Staff at Kaibosh in Paraparaumu. Photo / Jenn Hadley
Kaibosh Food Rescue is continuing to make a difference in the Kāpiti community with an average of 39,500 meals worth of food being given to people and organisations from the Kāpiti and Horowhenua districts each month.
This comes as the need continues to increase due to the ongoing pandemic and rising living costs.
Kaibosh has been dealing with a surge in demand for their service since January, with additional hardship in the community as a result of Covid-19, and many vulnerable people self-isolating through the Omicron outbreak.
Ben Wakefield and Donna Redmond at Kaibosh, Paraparaumu.
Moving into a new site on Sheffield St five months ago, Kāpiti-Horowhenua operations manager Ben Wakefield said almost every inch of the new premise was being used to store and move food.
"The new Paraparaumu site is serving us well as the need for Covid-19 support in the area has increased.
"We have been processing food that has been supplied specifically for those in home isolation and we are working with Te Puna Oranga o Ōtaki and Manaaki Kāpiti as they work on the ground.
"Every month at least 80 per cent of our rescued food is fresh produce, meat and dairy that would otherwise be lost to other waste streams."
Kaibosh collecting food from New World Kāpiti. Photo / Jenn Hadley
In Kāpiti, the team bring in crates of rescued and donated food daily, with staff and volunteers getting the equivalent of 39,500 meals worth of food each month out to people who would otherwise be going hungry via community groups in Kāpiti and Horowhenua regions.
Kaibosh operates as a link between the food industry and groups who are supporting those in need in our communities.
Throughout Wellington, Hutt Valley and Kāpiti-Horowhenua, over 80 different food donors provide quality surplus food to Kaibosh, which the team rescues and sorts before providing food to over 120 different charities and community groups including soup kitchens, marae, food banks, youth groups, residential facilities and other essential social service providers.
The Kāpiti Whanau Wellbeing Hub is just one of the many charities that receive food from Kaibosh on a weekly basis.
Donna Redmond has seen the impact of Kaibosh first as a whānau support worker for over a decade at the Boys and Girls Institute (BGI) in Wellington and now through her work with the Kāpiti Whanau Wellbeing Hub.
Donna picks up nutritious food from Kaibosh Kāpiti-Horowhenua each week, using it to make up food parcels for families struggling to make ends meet.
"People who are living in poverty, the stress of it, deciding whether you can pay a bill or put food on the table for your children - it's massive," said Donna.
"So many of us can be just one paycheck away from hardship.
"I remember a mum who was battling cancer, there was no money and nothing for the child to have after school.
"If I hadn't turned up with Kaibosh food … there was nothing for dinner and nothing for two more days. It's life-changing."
Launching their annual fundraiser next week, Kaibosh is asking New Zealanders to share some kindness through kai this May with their Give a Meal in May campaign.
A donation to Kaibosh helps them get food to those who need it most.
Every $20 donated to Kaibosh can provide 39 meals worth of food.
The funds raised in May support them with ongoing operating costs, keeping their three sites running, food rescue EV vans on the road and keeping the continuity of service supplying charities in the region.
With an increase of over 30 per cent in volume over the past year, Kaibosh is currently redistributing up to 90 tonnes of food every month across their three sites in Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Kāpiti-Horowhenua.
