Warriors players put through their paces at New Zealand Food network site to help needy whānau

Auckland Warrior prop Bunty Afoa is in the box seat volunteering at the NZ Food Network, that supplied food for needy whānau.

New Zealand Warriors players got stuck into the community with a volunteering session alongside TYLA Youth Development Trust week, hosted by Aotearoa’s national surplus food distributor.

Players – including Kurt Capewell, Bunty Afoa, Laish Albert Jones, Demitric Vaimauga, Luke Hanson and Patrick Moimoi – experienced working behind the scenes of food support in New Zealand Food Network’s Penrose warehouse, sorting and packing surplus food and essential items to be distributed to NZFN’s 60+ nationwide food hubs.

Chief executive of the Warriors Community Foundation, Lincoln Jefferson says: “The team were stacking boxes with general products that every household needs – they loved getting in there and helping out. Throughout the whole NRL, volunteering is a big focus of ours and volunteering opportunities like these are a great chance to get out in the community and give back.”

Auckland Warrior Kurt Capewell and teammates volunteering at the NZ Food Network's Penrose warehouse last week.

NZFN chief executive, Gavin Findlay, says: “Everyone was so excited to have the players here today, and it was awesome to see them show up with such a great attitude. The hard mahi they put in – both on the field and in the community – really shows what they’re about.

“Volunteers are an integral part of how we’re able to operate the way we do, so we’re always so grateful when groups, whether they’re corporate teams or members of the public, are truly passionate about helping us in our mission to get food to where it’s needed most,” adds Findlay.

The session was organised through the Warriors Community Foundation which is dedicated to driving positive social change, focusing on promoting physical and mental wellbeing and various initiatives with community groups. Some of their ongoing programmes include: League in Libraries which encourages literacy through storytelling and creative writing, Tupu Maia which is a girls-only programme providing a safe space to enjoy exercise, and One NZ Warriors Community Activations connecting fans and community groups with the players.

Eight Auckland Warriors joined others to volunteer at the New Zealand Food Network.

One of these community groups is TYLA Youth Development Trust which helps disadvantaged, vulnerable and at-risk tamariki and rangatahi to turn their lives around. Rangatahi from TYLA spent the afternoon volunteering alongside the sporting superstars.

Anastasia Meredith, general manager at TYLA says, “For our rangatahi, they never get these opportunities to give back to the community even though they come from the most vulnerable homes and communities themselves. But also to interact with celebrities and see that they’re just normal people like them. They get too shy and we encourage them that they’re people just like them, so they have some barriers that we try to break down with different experiences like these.”

Volunteering at the New Zealand Food Network is available year-round and is great for team building, encouraging corporate responsibility and giving back to the community. It also gives employees an opportunity to see first-hand what happens to the food donated by their organisations.