Whanganui Kai Hub general manager Stephen Lee is urging the Whanganui community to donate to the food rescue organisation, otherwise it faces closure in May.
Whanganui Kai Hub general manager Stephen Lee is urging the Whanganui community to donate to the food rescue organisation, otherwise it faces closure in May.
The Whanganui Kai Hub faces closure unless it receives regular financial support from the community.
Kai Hub, set up in 2022, is a food rescue organisation that collects and distributes donated food to 21 community charity organisations and five storehouses across Whanganui to reduce food waste and feed people in need.
In a March 18 social media, Kai Hub announced it would close at the end of May unless there were sufficient community donations.
Kai Hub said its funding model was not sustainable, especially in the current financial climate. It had been operating with community and government grants.
A campaign was launched on March 20 to generate regular donations.
“We are optimistic, we are going about it in the right way and that is all we can do - it is just whether the community responds,” Lee said.
“The support has been extremely promising. We are extremely grateful [to] the people contributing.”
The impact Kai Hub’s work had on its recipients could not be overstated and closure would increase the stress on families, he said.
“We have seen the impact which this food has on people’s faces ... We hear the stories of constant, or occasional, shortage of food so we feel if we can’t continue this, it will impact people’s lives.”
Kai Hub provides about 400 meals a day to people in need of food. Photo / NZME
The organisation provides the equivalent of 2600 meals a week, which is enough to feed 400 people one meal a day.
Since it was formed in 2022, it has rescued more than 124,000kg of good quality surplus food and provided the equivalent of more than 275,000 meals.
At first, Kai Hub received government funding as a philanthropic organisation. It also started to receive grant funding.
Lee said Kai Hub had a 100% success rate for 2024 funding applications. However, not enough money had been granted.
Lee said the need for community support was the third stage in establishing the organisation.
Businesses would soon be invited to sponsor Kai Hub.
“If we have that portfolio of income we are not wholly reliant on just one group, it is spread,” Lee said.
Kai Hub chairwoman Dr Rose Soame said: “By supporting the Whanganui Kai Hub, you will play an instrumental role in combating food waste, reducing hunger and building a more sustainable and equitable future for all”.
