Covid 19 coronavirus: Community helps bakery after lockdown call

Customers observe social distancing rules as they line up outside Dough Boys Bakery in Auckland this morning. Screenshot / RNZ

By RNZ

Several thousand pastries and loaves of bread were destined for the bin until Dough Boys Bakery in Auckland put out a call to the community to help.

Goods had been baked and were ready to go to farmers' markets across Auckland starting at 7am this morning, until an announcement by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at 9pm last night put Auckland into alert level 3 from 6am today.

"It was a nightmare. We couldn't think of anything worse," sales manager George Ring said of the announcement.

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"In times gone by we were at least able to not have the product already baked but, because it was so late, there was nothing we could do about it."

The bakery posted a message to social media asking locals to support the business, and Ring said he had been "blown away" by the support.

Posted by Dough Boys on Saturday, February 27, 2021

"The community has really rallied behind us to help us clear the product and make sure we don't throw it all out," Ring said.

"I haven't had a chance to comprehend the queue yet."

- RNZ