Tūrangi Foodbank staff prepare food parcels, from left; Olive Hart, Maggie Stewart, and Paula Rihia.
Tūrangi Foodbank is experiencing “waves” of demand with up to 400 people getting in touch some months.
The Tūrangi Foodbank typically supports more than 300 people monthly with food parcels – out of a population of 3500.
Chairwoman of the Foodbank Maggie Stewart said those food parcels would last anywhere from a day to a week “depending on the family’s needs”.
She said it wasn’t just big families needing food, it was also “middle-income families and employed singles seeking food support for the first time” as the cost of living continues to bite.
In a recent NZ Food Network (NZFN) survey, 90% of food banks cited the cost of living as the main reason people sought food assistance.
Stewart told the Taupō and Tūrangi Herald they had delivered 1567 food parcels since October 2023, up until the end of last week.
That’s 9400 days’ worth of food given out so far she said.
To put the increased demand into perspective, when Tūrangi Foodbank was first incorporated in 2009, it only delivered 183 parcels from July to June 2010.
“The demand is between an 860 to 900% increase to date, it’s huge.”
She said the demand comes in waves and some months they have more clients than usual, but it’s anywhere between 250 to 400 people.
The waves stem from increases in expenses from bills to holidays, school costs, medical treatments, and “just general poverty” that can leave people without food.
“When the electricity bill comes in, rates bill comes or the rent has gone out, we get more clients.”
She said rent prices had gone up so much that people were lucky to find one at $400 a week.
“Low to middle-income families [are seeking food support], employed singles who’ve never had to come before, people on sickness and unemployment benefits, homeless, pensioners, and people with no money left.
“It will keep being hard for people as the cost of living keeps going up.”
She said the biggest challenge they faced was finding the funding to keep the foodbank open and buy products for a balanced diet.
They’ve also increased staffing numbers and now have two employees and two volunteers.
“We work really hard to make sure we have the finances we need because during Covid-19 we weren’t receiving funding, and had to work hard to deliver.”
She said they helped around 426 individuals monthly with food parcels during the pandemic.
“Sometimes we’re still having sleepless nights or sitting with our fingers crossed because we don’t know how to get through the next few months, but we somehow seem to manage it.”
She said poverty doesn’t just happen three times a year, but “it’s a long haul for people to get out of”.
She believes the food bank was also preventing crime in Tūrangi, ensuring people had enough food and didn’t need to “commit a crime to get it”.
“Poverty is a cycle, and once you’re in it, it’s hard to break and see the end of that tunnel. That’s where the spear kicks in.
“It’s an essential of life to have food. Without it, you will either do desperate things to yourself, or other people.”
She said joining the NZFN in 2021 was “God sent” because they might not have been able to stay open and continue helping the community.
“NZFN covers so much, it means we didn’t have to find the money to buy the food, and the money we do have we can use on other services.
“We would have been struggling to keep up with what we’re doing without them.”
Stewart takes pride in not turning anyone away when they need food, and she would do whatever she could, including using money out of her own pocket to help.
“It’s a rollercoaster and we just keep hoping and praying that everybody keeps supporting us.”
Anyone who wants to donate to the Foodbank could drop in food products at their bin at New World, or at the organisation located at the Senior Citizen’s Hall, Te Kapua Park in Tūrangi.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.