Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan with, from left, Krishna Kansara, Isabella Dickinson, Piper Love, Alina Houghton and Army Jarvis.
Weekly column by Kāpiti mayor K Gurunathan.
I got a message recently that reinforced that constant message by the Prime Minister for people to be kind. It was delivered in the form of an email from Piper Armand-Love, 11,of Kapakapanui School.
She and some of her classmates were wanting to know what they could do to help the homeless. Over an afternoon tea last week, in my office, Piper and her friends Isabella Dickinson, Krishna Kansara, Aliyah Houghton and Army Jarvis unfolded their journey. Searching for a class project, everyone agreed with Piper that homelessness was an important problem. They had heard their parents talking about it.
Prodded further, a number of them said they had seen this homeless guy sleeping in a tent by the old SH1. Most people, who are observant drivers would know him. His name is Jeremy and he is known to travel between Palmerston North and Wellington trundling a supermarket trolley full of his belongings in front of him. There is a story to his life but for many, he is a poster-child of the increasing problem of the homeless. The visible iceberg of a hidden and growing problem.
The kids also talked about stories they had heard of people sleeping in cars and in the sheltered nooks of Wellington's streets. The children brainstormed some ideas for fundraising to donate cash or goods, including the collection of non-perishable food, to charities that look after the homeless. Bless their little souls for being aware and doing something about it.
Last week, I was also privileged to go on a trip with one of the drivers of an organisation called Kaibosh. Known as New Zealand's first and most well-established food rescue organisations, Kaibosh was set up in Kāpiti only recently during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The volunteer driver for the day was Rebecca Silver. The highly qualified lab technician is a Waikanae resident and mother of two. The volunteer drivers go through a 26-page training manual with one-third of it focused on health and safety.
On the trip with Rebecca I understood why. The back-end of the supermarkets we visited is where the national and international supply chains meet the retail platform that is presented to the customers. Massive trucks arrive to unload their goods as front-end loaders skilfully pick up and move small loads to different sections for redistribution. It's a hive of activity.
Dressed in a safety vest, I stick close to Rebecca as she deftly moves her trolley to designated sections, where she loads up on the surplus food coming back out of the display area. A whole range of food unsold for a whole range of reasons. Vegetables, fruit, bread, meat, eggs, dairy ... etc. Once loaded, the Kaibosh crates are wheeled back to our refrigerated truck and we go back to reload. I'm gobsmacked by the quantity and variety and the knowledge that what we have rescued is only part of the waste.
Other food not good for human consumption is diverted through other arrangements by the supermarkets to feed animals like pigs. And then more wasted food is sent to the landfills. I thank these supermarkets for this partnership with the community.
I was impressed by the passion and dedication of Rebecca, something reflected in all the volunteers, and Kaibosh has about 40 on their list. These are community-minded, kind people doing the hard mahi for the good of those struggling to make ends meet. When Rebecca delivers the load at the Kaibosh centre at Tongariro St, Paraparaumu, trained volunteers will work through the goods and repackage them for delivery to about 33 charities in the Kāpiti/Horowhenua area for customised delivery to the needy. Since starting operations in our area from lockdown, Kaibosh has rescued 34,241kg of quality surplus food, resulting in almost 100,000 meals.
Last week, I had arranged to visit the Kāpiti Community Foodbank. They were flat-out packaging deliveries to clients helped by a generous community collection organised by the Lions. The foodbanks in Paraparaumu and Ōtaki were key players during the lockdown. The local supermarkets, schools and Rotary have helped.
I remember the foodbank's chairwoman, Kim Lancaster, speaking at its August AGM about the huge community response: "People found a whole new level of compassion and developed an empathy that I don't think existed before. A lot of judgments were dropped and suddenly everyone wanted to help. We were absolutely inundated with donations both in goods and financial donations".
Kim had a warning for community organisations to be prepared for an uncertain future as, given the global situation, no one could predict the economic future. In recent months this foodbank is supplying around 50 new clients, many of whom have never been in a situation to seek such help before.
On that note, I take the opportunity to thank all the good people doing good work in our communities. As we celebrate Christmas and New Year, let's remember those in our police force, fire service, ambulance and medical service, as well council's essential services, who work right through this time. We have pulled together successfully so far. We can do it through whatever comes in 2021. Have a safe one everyone.