Tamaki's kin get $10k to feed poor

The son-in-law of Destiny Church leader Bishop Brian Tamaki has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship to help feed the needy.

Vance McPhee and wife Jasmine will use the AMP scholarship to kick-start their business providing low-cost grocery boxes to low-income families.

The couple have started building relationships with wholesalers and growers and have a ready-made customer base through their popular "Feed a Family for $20" Facebook page.

McPhee said the food boxes would contain food for breakfast, lunch and dinner for six people for a week and would link to recipes on their Facebook page, which had close to 65,000 members.

"To receive a scholarship from AMP really validates what we're doing," McPhee said.

The couple plan to use the money to buy a computer and set up infrastructure to start the business.

The scholarship also means Vance McPhee will be mentored by one of the AMP judges.

Vance said he was passionate about helping those on low incomes and described poverty as a "dirty, life-draining killer".

"That's why Jas and I are starting with what these families are putting into their mouths. We're simply supplying the tools for a family to start living better."

Despite their family links to the wealthy Destiny Church, the McPhees said they had struggled financially and once had to cook a can of spaghetti over a candle.

Both have been declared bankrupt in the past after money troubles from a house sale that went wrong.

This year, the couple signed a cook-book deal with Penguin Books and this week they launched their first e-book - a Christmas cook book - which sold 35 copies on its first day.