Nourished for Nil founder Christina McBeth says demand has noticeably increased for their food donations since the cyclone. Photo / Warren Buckland
Nourished for Nil founder Christina McBeth says demand has noticeably increased for their food donations since the cyclone. Photo / Warren Buckland
Charities in Hawke’s Bay have reported a big surge in demand since Cyclone Gabrielle struck in February including community services for food donations, family support, and even family violence services.
One charity says staff and volunteer wellbeing is extremely important as those on the frontline are often dealing with “people’strauma, anxiety and grief”.
Nourished for Nil, which provides food donations across four sites in Napier and Hastings, has been operating for six years and has never been busier.
“We have had a noticeable uptick in the community coming in to get the food that we offer,” Nourished for Nil founder Christina McBeth said.
“Some people that we have not even seen before are coming through, and being affected for whatever reason [such as] businesses lost or livelihoods erased.
“We don’t question or turn anyone away. We are just grateful that what we do is giving people a lifeline to at least not have to worry about putting food on the table.”
She said their service runs for an hour at a time at each venue, and the number of people coming through had increased from around 250 pre-cyclone to around 350 people at present, for each service.
Flooding in Wairoa after the cyclone hit in February. Photo / Supplied
Birthright Hawke’s Bay, a child and family care provider, chief executive Fiona Parrant said the need for its services had never been greater.
“Since the cyclone we have seen a 30 per cent increase across all our social services, and [we are] expecting that to increase as the impact for some is only starting to become a reality,” she said.
“As the recovery phase goes on, looking after our team and making sure that they themselves are okay is pivotal.”
Amid the higher demand, Parrant said a challenge was pay equity for staff as, “NGOs cannot compete with the rates Oranga Tamariki can pay their social workers”.
Heretaunga Women’s Centre service manager Amanda Meynell said they had seen an increase in women seeking a range of support, including domestic violence support.
“The cyclone has caused stress and pressure for many who were already struggling to manage their emotions and behaviour.
“For many, the cyclone has been the tipping point and women who were coping are now not coping.
“Additionally, financial stresses including the stress around the cost of living are additional factors that we see are causing an increase in those seeking support for family violence.”
She said, “one of our biggest concerns will be the ability to meet demand for our services”.
Family Works service manager Carlotta Bauer-Edwards said staff wellbeing was extremely important at present as those on the frontline can often be dealing with “people’s trauma, anxiety and grief”.
Hawke’s Bay Foundation supports local charities and has donated more than $3 million to at least 350 charities since 2012.
Foundation distributions chairwoman Sarah Mulcahy encouraged people to continue supporting local charities.
“The days of relying on outside sources to prop up the provinces are over, it’s up to each one of us to look after our own backyard. Future generations will depend on it.”
