Nourished for Nil and Salvation Army combine to open food rescue and distribution service in Napier

Hawke's Bay food rescue charity Nourished for Nil has teamed up with the Salvation Army for a new service in Greenmeadows, Napier.

A collaboration between Hawke’s Bay food rescue charity Nourished for Nil and the Salvation Army will give those struggling with food insecurity a new place to turn for help.

Napier MP Katie Nimon joined volunteers working at Nourished for Nil and the Salvation Army on Thursday to celebrate the opening of a new free food distribution service in Greenmeadows, Napier.

The partnership means the free food service will be run from the Salvation Army’s premises at 56 Tait Drive, Greenmeadows, every Thursday from 4pm–5pm.

Nourished for Nil volunteers collect surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and distribute it free of charge to the community.

The food distributed through the service has been donated by local growers, manufacturers, supermarkets and cafes who support the charity’s aims of reducing food waste and supporting local communities.

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Nimon said Nourished for Nil’s free food service was “a very special programme” for the community.

“If we don’t rescue this food, it will go into landfill. This food is a gift for people, and diverting it from landfill is good for our environment.”

Nourished for Nil founder and CEO Christina McBeth thanked the Salvation Army in Napier for supporting the service’s expansion and the many volunteers whose hard work made it possible.

The Greenmeadows service is the seventh in Nourished for Nil’s weekly roster and expands the charity’s presence in Napier, adding to a Tuesday service at Maraenui. Other free food services are held in Hastings, Camberley and Flaxmere.

Nourished for Nil also runs the Napier and Hastings foodbanks and a social supermarket. Agency referrals are required for access to these services.

Last year, the charity rescued over 800 tonnes of surplus food from producers and distributed more than 82,000 food parcels. There are no eligibility criteria for receiving a parcel of rescued food, with everyone in the community welcome.

People can find out more about service details at nourishedfornil.org.