Hawke’s Bay’s Nourished for Nil one of two East Coast food rescues to receive $10,000 Foodstuffs boost

The Napier Nourished for Nil team is all smiles as a $10,000 donation boosts its ability to help the community.

Stepping up to help combat food insecurity and support local communities, Foodstuffs North Island has donated $10,000 each to Nourished for Nil in Hawke’s Bay and Gizzy Kai Rescue, based in Gisborne.

The combined $20,000 was donated to help both of the food charities pay for operational costs and support the important work they do, as well as help the groups continue to provide much-needed support to the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne communities.

Foodstuffs North Island head of membership experience Willa Hand said the donation is part of the co-operative’s ongoing commitment to being “HereforNZ,” ensuring New Zealanders have access to healthy and affordable food.

“Food rescue organisations are an important partner for us, helping redirect food to the community that would otherwise have gone to landfill,” Hand said.

She added, “The work of Nourished for Nil and Gizzy Kai Rescue is essential, and we’ve already built great relationships through the support provided by our local Pak’nSave and New World supermarkets, but we wanted to contribute even more to their important work.”

Nourished for Nil is a Napier-based organisation that offers pre-made food parcels through its free store and emergency parcels through its foodbank. It also operates Hawke’s Bays’ first social supermarket, which was opened in partnership with Foodstuffs in 2023.

The social supermarket is where individuals can shop for subsidised groceries, using a points system to choose the products that meet the needs of their whānau.

Chief executive of Nourished for Nil Christina McBeth said the grant was a lovely surprise.

“Foodstuffs North Island has been a great partner, and their ongoing support is invaluable. This grant means we have an unexpected $10,000 that we don’t have to pull from our reserves or go out into the community to find,” McBeth said.

Nourished for Nil is always looking for ways to improve the customer experience at the depot by improving the space where people queue and also for our volunteers, which is one of the many things they could do with the $10,000 donation.

“Having the means to purchase with money such as this is gold,” McBeth said.

Gizzy Kai Rescue is a Gisborne-based food rescue that has a dedicated team of volunteers.Through partnerships with supermarkets like Pak’nSave Gisborne, they collect surplus food nearing its best-before date and redistribute it to local agencies and community groups.

In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, their services have become even more critical.

Gizzy Kai Rescue Charitable Trust manager Lauren Beattie said the grant further highlights the value of the food rescue partnership and the work it does in its community.

“When we heard about the grant, it was welcome news. Foodstuffs North Island has great relationships with food rescue and knows where the need is.

“They recognised that we needed support following last year’s craziness and reached out. It was incredibly heartening to receive this generous grant,” Beattie said.

She said the funding grant will help the group continue to operate sustainably and will help with the continuation of Gizzy Kai’s service.

“It’s a relief to know we are supported and that we can continue to focus on the good work we do,” Beattie said.

Foodstuffs North Island and its Here for NZ fund support reducing waste and emissions and redirecting surplus for communities in need.

This year, Foodstuffs North Island has provided donations to 14 food rescues, totalling $140,000.

For more information, visit Here for NZ.