Meat the Need charity fundraiser with Margo Flanagan heads to Hāwera

Margo Flanagan (right) of Two Raw Sisters, which she runs with her sister Rosa, will speak in Taranaki this month. Photo / Susannah Blatchford

A long lunch charity fundraiser featuring best-selling cookbook author Margo Flanagan will be held in Hāwera this month.

Charity Meat the Need has partnered with the Dairy Women’s Network to organise a series of long lunches to raise funds to help families struggling with food insecurity.

“Collaborating for the greater good of our sector is essential,” Dairy Women’s Network chief executive Jules Benton said.

“By working together, we can create a stronger, more resilient community, and the long lunches are a fantastic opportunity to unite and make a meaningful impact where it’s most needed.”

The long lunch event will provide a space for women to network and learn, with guest speaker Margo Flanagan of Two Raw Sisters.

The company was 100% women-owned and operated and they enjoyed giving back to the community, Flanagan said.

“When they reached out, it was a bit of a no-brainer to get on board.”

She will speak on being “intelligently lazy in the kitchen” based on the sisters’ new cookbook More Salad, which follows their 2021 best-seller Salad.

Flanagan will present two dishes from the book.

“Doing it in front of them makes them realise how easy it is and how, actually, all you need is 45 minutes on a Sunday and I’m sorted in the food department for the week,” she said.

“A lot of people can think of food as being difficult or time-consuming and it can quite often take the back seat. So by doing the cooking demonstration, a lot of people are visual learners, and it helps people become inspired and motivated to get in the kitchen and make food a priority for themselves.”

After Flanagan’s talk, the guests will be treated to a buffet lunch with Silver Fern Farms meat.

Meat the Need is a farmer-led charity that, according to its website, “connects the dots between farmers who want to donate some of what they produce and families in need”.

Farmer-led charity Meat the Need donates meat and dairy products to families in need.

In August, NZ Pork celebrated its 50th anniversary by donating the meat of 50 pigs, totalling 600kg or about 3500 servings, to Meat the Need.

One of the many charities that Meat the Need supports is Whanganui City Mission which uses the donations for food parcels.

The Dairy Women’s Network helps connect and provide information to rural women in the dairy industry with events all over the country such as webinars, Q&As and activities such as pottery classes.

All proceeds from the $75 long lunch tickets will go to Meat the Need.

“This is an opportunity to empower communities to connect and make a meaningful difference for those struggling with food insecurity,” Meat the Need general manager Zellara Holden said.

The Hāwera event is on November 21 at Tairoa Lodge. Tickets can be bought at blog.meattheneed.org.

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.