Warwick Callaghan is urging the rural community to get behind a feed-the-kids scheme. Photo / Ashleigh Muir.
An Orini farmer is calling on rural families to donate beasts to help feed children who go without.
Over the past year, Warwick Callaghan has donated three beasts to the Salvation Army who say the meat is a luxury they normally wouldn't have to hand out to families.
Mr Callaghan said he was spurred on by media reports about New Zealand's high child poverty rates. According to the Child Poverty Monitor, 24 per cent of the nation's children live in poverty.
"I was talking to my family about it one night and I said 'heck, let's do something'," said Mr Callaghan.
"It's not okay to do nothing. It's time to do something. So often we think someone else will do it, but it's time for us to do something."
He originally considered getting a beast killed and processed by a homekill outlet and he'd then drop it off to those in need in the community. However, Mr Callaghan's wife suggested the Salvation Army was better equipped to distribute the meat to families in need. He dropped the first beast off to the Salvation Army's food bank in December 2013.
"They gave me a tour around the place and told me they never get red meat donated. It's a luxury they don't normally get," said Mr Callaghan.
"I've got to know them and the amount of little children who go to school (or to bed) without eating is shocking.
"These kids don't come from beer-drinking, fag-smoking, drug-taking families. The majority come from hard working Kiwi families, just like you and I, who, for whatever reason, can not make ends meet."
Salvation Army Hamilton community ministries manager Cairine Barton said a donation like Mr Callaghan's was "staggering".
She said the cost of meat to add to food parcels is too high for the Salvation Army so "to have someone who will generously donate that to families is great".
"Normally all we can supply is non perishables... we can't generally manage even fresh fruit and veges," said Ms Barton.
"You do see people who are historically struggling because of addiction or mental health issues, but more so you'll have a family where, say, one person is working and their hours have dropped down....[they're struggling with] things you can't forsee.
"We also see a number of grandparents who have been 'gifted' their grandchildren so they often are just coping and then add grandchildren into the mix and it's tough."
Ms Barton said she'd seen about a 10 per cent decrease in demand on the local food bank.
"We're consciously tyring to educate people and connect with services that will address the underlying issues, finding out what's actually happening and how to help."
Mr Callaghan belongs to a discussion group facilitated by Dairy NZ which dairy farmers in his vicinity attend. From conversations he's had with the group, 8-10 farmers have committed to donate beasts this year. And he hopes that farmers around the country will get on board with the idea.
He'd like to see dairy farmers keep back a bobby calf that would otherwise be sent to the meat works to rear for meat.
"If you are a dry stock farmer or lifestyler you could consider grazing an animal to a good killable weight," he said.
Mr Callaghan has a home kill outlet that does the killing and processing for free and he then collects that and drops it off to the Sallies.
He said if the scheme takes off, he would approach larger outlets such as Greenlea, Affco and Silver Fern Farms to see if they would consider assisting with the killing and processing.
Mr Callaghan said he'd been thinking for awhile about how he could help and decided the beast donation scheme was a simple and practical way of helping families in need.
"As a family we are going to continue to give meat as these kids just never get to eat it. This is for the children who desperately need it. This whole thing is for the kids."
The Salvation Army receives donations from Tegel, Goodman Fielder, New World Te Rapa and from Countdown as part of its nationwide food rescue programme. It also distributes food to other social service agencies and food banks around the region.
If you're interested in donating a beast or other animal to the scheme, Mr Callaghan can be contacted on 0276 737 797 or email wdcallaghan@gmail.com.