Woolworths and The Salvation Army partner in the Christmas Appeal.
A shy mother visiting a food bank last Christmas came away with something more than the groceries her family sorely needed: the idea that she might learn to be a better parent and help others like her.
It was a rough time for her financially, with the rising cost of living, rent and petrol, impacting on the whānau budget. It prompted the woman to turn to the food bank at the local Salvation Army centre – a facility partly fuelled by the Woolworths New Zealand and Salvation Army Christmas Appeal every year.
While she was choosing items from the shelves, she got talking to a staff member. She told her story of overcoming addiction and struggling with parenting her four under-10s. When the Salvation Army team member mentioned a programme called Building Awesome Whānau, she asked for details.
After finishing the programme of six weekly sessions, she told her new friend how much she enjoyed it, so it was suggested she consider another programme, Positive Lifestyle, aimed at building parents’ resilience and improving relationships with their children.
These life skills programmes have been attended by more than 200 since July. They, as well as the food bank, are run on money raised by the Christmas Appeal, says Captain David Daly, in charge of the 15 centres in Auckland and who shares the story of the mother who left the food bank with plenty of food for thought.
“She has completed her Positive Lifestyle Programme and mentions that the group session taught her to be more reflective. It’s wonderful how far she has come in healing and overcoming what she’s been through. She now hopes to enrol as a social work student and I think she will make an impact in the future.”
Daly says that, in addition to the Salvation Army’s online Christmas Appeal where donations can be made through its website, there is also the Woolworths and Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.
Last year, this raised more than $400,000. Of that, $200,000 was donated in store by customers and Woolworths NZ matched it dollar for dollar. It has pledged to do the same in 2023.
The partnership with Woolworths is critical to continuing the Army’s services to 150,000 people a year in New Zealand.
“For years we have been partners in The Foodbank Project where people can go online and donate money. That becomes available to our centres for purchasing food through Woolworths,” says Daly.
“We are finding the supply for our foodbanks was starting to dry up, making it even more difficult to meet the demand. Across New Zealand, we have had a 37 per cent increase in demand and in Auckland a 41 per cent increase since the beginning of this year. The rising cost of living is putting pressure on families and creating more need but we have a lesser amount to meet that need.”
Some centres had to reduce opening hours because they did not have enough food. The situation led to re-thinking how food is provided. This has prevented waste, says Daly – instead of handing clients a boxed food parcel, they are now allocated points according to family size and they use the points to select the items they actually need.
This innovation is called the “choice model” where clients can go into a centre and select food from the shelves using their allocated points. “Having choice gives people more dignity as they input into what they take and feel more valued,” he says.
Across New Zealand, hundreds of volunteers assist in food banks – with staff employed according to what the Salvation Army can afford. They know that, for first-time clients, it’s hard to walk through the door and ask for help. It might be a one-off request or until the clients can get back on their feet, often thanks to financial mentors at the centre.
As part of its food rescue programme, each Woolworths store also donates to the local Salvation Army centre unsold, edible, shelf-stable food, for use in food parcels. This daily work is in addition to major appeals which help raise donations of money and food towards food parcels and the Army’s other services. Woolworths and its customers nationwide donated food items to the value of $950,000 for last year’s winter and Christmas appeals.
One team member with a front-seat view of the generosity of customers is store manager of Woolworths Waiata Shores, Jatinder Chahal. This Green Star-rated supermarket serves the Conifer Grove and Wattle Downs areas of South Auckland and Chahal says that, in his 13 years’ experience of the appeals, the team is fully behind them.
“This morning the team was very excited to put the trolley out for customers to fill with their food donations. I have seen customers buying 20 items and putting 10 into the trolley. Some will pick out items from their trolley to donate. We get a good response at the checkout when they are invited to round up their purchases and donate the difference to the Salvation Army appeal.
“The team and I live in this community and everyone knows someone who is struggling in these times and that’s why they are doing all they can and the customers are so generous.”
For more information: Foodbank.org.nz