The Invercargill branch of KiwiHarvest has repurposed the equivalent of one million meals for Southland residents.
The food rescue organisation launched in Southland in August 2021 and since then has rescued 366,789kgs of good quality kai – the equivalent of 1,047,970 meals.
Invercargill branch manager Jessie Beer said hitting the one million meals milestone in less than two years showed how high the need in the community was.
“We knew there was a need for food support here in Southland but never expected it to grow this quickly and to feed this many people in such a short amount of time, looking back and seeing how many meals we have delivered into our communities in under two years just highlights the great mahi that has been achieved here and can be achieved when we work together with local food businesses who want to support their people and reduce the negative impact of food waste. Together we are creating positive change.”
“With compassion we strive to better understand the needs and demand in our region and provide that much needed food support.”
None of what had been achieved would have been possible without the generous support of donors, funders, supporters, KiwiHarvest staff, recipients, and most importantly, the selfless volunteers who give up their time to help the kaupapa week in and out, Jessie said.
Community wellbeing was at the heart of the organisation, and this had recently included providing whānau play packs to families in isolated Southland communities, something the organisation planned on repeating in the near future, she said.
The organisation was also in the process of searching for more donors to help support its food rescue efforts as need continued to rise in the community.
“Moving forward, as the need continues to rise, and we already have recipients on waiting lists, we are on the hunt for more donors to be able to support them.”