Whanganui Kai Hub fights to avoid closure in May as regular donors come on board

Multimedia journalist ·Whanganui Chronicle·

15 Apr, 2025 05:00 PM2 mins to read

Whanganui Kai Hub general manager Stephen Lee is urging the Whanganui community to donate to the food rescue organisation.

The Whanganui Kai Hub has passed the halfway mark for its regular donors’ target as it fights for survival.

The 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 March, Kai Hub announced it would close at the end of May unless there were sufficient community donations.

The organisation said this week it had reached 55% of its financial target of receiving regular donations from 470 people and businesses.

As of April 14, it had confirmed 117 regular donors, with the average donation totalling $18.67.

A further 63 one-off donations, totalling more than $4500, have been made.

Kai Hub general manager Stephen Lee estimated that if 1% of the Whanganui population donated $10 a month, the organisation would be sustainable.

Whanganui’s two Woolworths supermarkets are helping Kai Hub stay afloat by offering customers the chance to round up their purchases with the profits going to the food rescue organisation.

The initiative began on April 14 and will be available for two weeks.

Kai Hub is a food rescue partner for both Woolworths stores and collects much of its rescue food there.

Woolworths head of sustainability Catherine Langabeer (left) said it would be a 'huge blow' should the Kai Hub close down. Photo / NZME

Woolworths head of sustainability Catherine Langabeer said the company wanted to raise awareness about Kai Hub’s need for support.

“We think that losing the Kai Hub would be a huge blow for Whanganui and its people.

“Food rescue is super important to us at Woolworths because we want to see our surplus food go to people, not landfill.”

Funds raised from the two-week initiative will add to the $16,000 in food rescue funding Woolworths has granted to Whanganui Kai Hub this financial year.