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Covid-19 won't be remembered fondly, but it's left one gift - more of us want to help those in our community who are struggling, Auckland City Mission boss Chris Farrelly says.
Many are.
Pandemic-sparked lockdowns improved the lives of some of those in need, with homeless Kiwis moved into permanent accommodation and given access to healthcare, but food insecurity sparked by the thousands of livelihoods lost saw demand for emergency food parcels at times treble this year.
"Overnight we moved from half a million people food insecure in New Zealand to, our estimates, a million people food insecure in New Zealand", Farrelly, the mission's chief executive, said.
"During the early stages of [level 4] lockdown our food distribution trebled [from 450 parcels a week to 1500] on what it was the same time last year. We're still running about double now compared to this time last year."
But something else also happened during the nationwide emergency - many wanted to help those struggling to put food on the table, often the only discretionary item those under financial pressure can cut.
"Every single day I'd get dozens of calls, 'How can we help you?' … private individuals, huge growers, corporates.
"The community as a whole is incredibly sensitised and, I believe, responsive to some of these needs that are emerging, particularly when you see Government addressing them too."
Many Kiwis have needed food parcels as Covid-19 sparked thousands of job losses this year. Photo / File
You can continue that support.
Today, the Weekend Herald's lift-out lifestyle magazine Canvas is celebrating summer food with its A Taste of Kindness issue.
Our audience can buy signed, limited edition prints of the issue's six bespoke art commissions, with proceeds going to the food bank arm of Auckland City Mission.
The works include a life-like hand drawing of asparagus spears by the Herald's award-winning cartoonist Rod Emmerson, an image of crocheted biscuits by Pony McTait and other food-inspired works by Daron Parton, Tracey Tawhiao, Daniel Tippett and Jo Tronc.
Canvas would usually do a special food issue on Labour weekend, the first long weekend after the long haul of winter and a time when people are having a break and have time to read the magazine, the magazine's editor Sarah Daniell said.
"But this year I really felt it was important to tap into the idea of giving back. I'd heard about the staggering, awful stats around children in Aotearoa going hungry, and Covid had exacerbated that. The need was there. No doubt.
"So I thought, a food issue, that gives back to a food charity that gives to families. And art. Food art."
The artists were all "right into it", as was Auckland City Mission, Daniell said.
"They were on board immediately and they've been superb to work with."
It was satisfying for everyone to be part of something that hopefully translated into something meaningful for those doing it tough.
"It's our job to inform but also inspire and hopefully we can do that - inspire our lovely readers to respond in kind."
Covid-19 had "drawn back the curtains" on food security and for the first time providers, growers, distributors, non-governmental organisations, local and central Government were coming together to find solutions, Farrelly said.
Harnessing the 40 per cent of New Zealand-produced food which was wasted, increasing benefits and introducing a mandatory living wage would help, as the efforts of ordinary Kiwis already were.
Chris Farrelly is chief executive of Auckland City Mission. File photo / Dean Purcell
The A Taste of Kindness charity artworks were among the "phenomenal" efforts of many, he said.
"I'm so buoyed by it, because it's a symbol of what's happening at a greater level. Do you know the metaphor of the pebble? I'm convinced once someone does something, somebody else hears about it and there's a flow on, and that's the nature of our country, we're very receptive to things like this.
"We all have different ways to contribute, I'm shouting out to our country at the moment. There are times that I challenge, and times that I criticise. This is a time to thank."
