Watch NZH Local Focus: Hawke's Bay food rescue

This bread didn't sell, neither did these rolls.

But instead of being thrown out, this perfectly edible food will be offered - free of charge - to the Hastings community.

Katie Whitcombe, who owns The Artisan, says it's nice knowing the food goes to families.

She is just one of 20 who willingly donate unsold leftovers to Nourished for Nil - a food rescue project.

Nourished for Nil co-founder Christina McBeth says: "We wanted to target the food waste in the community."

Among the goods are left-over bakery items, non-perishables, fresh produce and the occasional treat.

It's handed out daily, at Hastings' Landmarks Square which gets transformed into their "depot".

"We rely heavily on volunteers to pick up the food for us and deliver it to the depot."

The initiative was started in the heat of summer, but as winter draws closer they will be moving to an indoor premises on Eastbourne St, so they can continue serving the lines that form, every afternoon at 4pm.

Mrs McBeth says the service is non discriminatory, "we just want the food to be eaten, to be taken away, to be fed to people who are hungry, or for whatever reason so it doesn't end up being wasted".

Nathan Radford visits the "depot" each day, "I've lived on the street before, so I know what it's like to go dumpster diving and it's not fun".

Hastings District Council waste minimisation team granted the zero waste scheme $5000.
By the fourth week, Nourished for Nil had redistributed about five supermarket trolleys of bread, about 70kg of fruit and veg and 863 baked items to more than 500 people.

"There doesn't seem to be any group that seems to be coming here more than anyone it just seems to be everyone," Mrs McBeth says.

But they know there are more people that could benefit from the service, and plans are in the pipeline to reach more communities.

Made with funding from