Proving that Kiwis have a 'can give' as well as a 'can do' attitude, Pak'nSave customers throughout the country have donated approximately 40,000 cans of food to top up the nation's foodbanks during winter.
If the cans were stacked on top of one other, they would be taller than Aoraki Mt Cook or the same height as 13.5 Sky Towers.
During the fortnight to July 11, Pak'nSave became "Pak'canSave" as each of the company's 56 supermarkets teamed with its local City Mission, foodbank or food rescue organisation to support families in need.
Customers were given the chance to donate canned goods, while Pak'nSave staff and management connected with community organisations to raise funds and chipped in with a $100,000 donation.
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge says the campaign will make a huge difference to many families: "Winter is always the time of year people struggle more than other times. However, this is the winter following the invasive cases of Covid-19, and we are seeing people even more challenged than they would normally be."
He says demand for the Mission's services has gone up. "We've got a whole lot of families – I count those in the thousands – who are really living on the cusp. They're really struggling."
The smallest of unexpected expenses, such as a medical or car repair bill, can create a crisis for these families.
"Our job is to walk alongside people who are doing it tough. That can take a whole lot of components. Obviously the charitable distribution of food is a significant part of that," Edridge says.
The Mission also provides budgeting advice, social work and support, community connection through a community lounge and housing options. These focus on transitional housing, designed to move people into a safe home and then into a permanent house.
"When people have food needs, we know that it generally isn't a food problem. It's an 'inadequacy of household income problem', which primarily is created by the cost of housing," Edridge says.
"The cost of housing in Wellington, as in many places throughout New Zealand, is such a significant part of the household income and budget that some other things don't get paid for - and the discretionary item is always food."
For Garrod Brader, the owner-operator of Pak'nSave Porirua in Wellington's northern suburbs, the campaign has offered an opportunity to repay the community.
"We get wonderful support from our local community so, when we can give back, it's fantastic to be able to support great organisations like Wellington City Mission. Thanks to our generous customers, our store alone donated 803 cans to the Mission, which will have a big impact in the lives of those struggling in our community."
Brader and his team have a philosophy of "giving little to lots. We support junior sport in the community through Norths Rugby Club and Western Suburbs Football Club. We have supported Life Flight Trust – the regional air ambulance – for four years and we give away as much as we are able to throughout the year as requests come through from all community groups."
For this campaign, however, the team went a step further – well, many steps further. They put together a dance video and uploaded it to Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/PNSporirua/) to challenge and inspire the Porirua public to get interested and involved.
Edridge, meanwhile, applauds the Pak'nSave initiative: "They, along with a number of other retailers, are showing real responsibility for what happens in their communities. I'm delighted with that and very appreciative.
"It gives the public a very convenient and easy opportunity to contribute and participate in the work we do, particularly at this time of year.
"In an ideal world we wouldn't be required, but we know there's no sign of that for the immediate future anyway."