Rising petrol and electricity prices plus increased GST makes weekly food shopping a struggle for many people. Hayley Hannan finds out about a free grocery store heading to Henderson.
Imagine walking into a grocery store. Piles of oranges and pears are neatly stacked next to an abundance of big lettuce heads. High shelves support lines of cans. On closer scrutiny, some have minor dents and others ripped labels.
While this may sound like your average grocery store, everything here is free.
Sounds too good to be true?
It's not. A free store is coming to Waitakere.
Next February, a pop-up grocery store will open in Henderson and, for a month, people will be able to take home fruit, vegetables, bread and daily goods at no charge.
It is the brainchild of artist Kim Paton, who hopes the store will help people reconsider what they waste.
She says waste is often defined only in terms of timing.
"It's such an interesting phenomenon that at 5pm bread previously sold one minute ago is then suddenly deemed worthless," she says.
The Karekare resident is working with manufacturers, retailers, producers and wholesalers to secure produce that is sellable, but "would otherwise not be sold for a number of reasons".
Food must meet rigorous requirements to reach supermarket shelves.
While these requirements maintain a high level of quality, the restrictions mean unusually shaped fruit and vegetables don't make the cut.
The free store aims to gather all this great tasting, but otherwise discarded, food.
The store's shelves will hold dented or damaged cans of food, misshapen vegetables, and graded and excess stock.
A similar store in Wellington ran successfully for two weeks in May this year.
The concept started as an art installation funded by Creative New Zealand, but has grown.
Ms Paton is working with Lou Lennane to make the Auckland store a collaboration between individuals, community groups and schools.
Visitors to the capital's store were a mix of students, council flat tenants, unemployed people, sickness beneficiaries, struggling families and people who were curious.
She expects the Henderson store will satisfy a more "concentrated and greater need".
The store plans to stay open for only one month, but Ms Paton hopes the concept could eventually evolve into a permanent fixture or a mobile unit.
Counting the cost
The Free Store Waitakere will be welcomed by many battling to meet the cost of a week's groceries. For some, as well as rising fuel, food and power prices, and a GST increase, the year has also brought redundancies.
The Salvation Army has recorded a 22 per cent increase in families needing its social and emergency services over the year ending September 30.
More food parcels are going out, with the agency distributing 53,707 over 12 months. The agency says what is more frightening, however, is the last quarter notes an increase of 38 per cent of new families needing food parcels for the first time.
For information or to contact the store, email: khpaton@gmail.com or louise.lennane@aucklandcouncil. govt.nz
The free supermarket
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