Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust helping community during lockdown

The trust is helping members with food and regular checks. Photo / Supplied

The Central Taranaki Safe Community Trust is working proactively to help the community during the alert level 4 lockdown.

Trust chairman Danny Bates says, like most organisations, the Covid-19 alert level 4 hit it quickly.

"We were ready and reacted fast – within four days of the announcement, over 1000 Neighbourhood Support were phoned and an assessment was carried out on their individual needs and concerns."

He says most members were prepared or able to cope and 126 members faced concerns.

"These ranged from getting food and supplies delivered to needing someone just to talk to regularly.

"From this a plan was devised to meet our members' needs, however this then raised the question to how many others were also requiring help so we contacted partnering organisations of our trust and got the job sorted."

Bates says helping the community at any time is important.

"Helping the community at times like this is even more so. Why? Because as a trust, as a Neighbourhood Support member and as a community person we all care about one another."

He says the trust is working with a number of organisations.

"Through weekly phonecalls and requests from members of our community, the trust is working closely with Team HOPE to help people with food and deliveries.

"Hundreds of people needed daily/weekly calls to ensure they were well and coping, just hearing a friendly voice helps."

He says there are daily updates through the Neighbourhood Support Facebook page.

"The trust would like to see every person in our community looked after. By joining we can then keep you regularly updated, help you if required or we can ask you for help if we need it."