Evan Harding / Staff
Jessie Beer, branch manager of Kiwi Harvest Southland, was at Queen’s Park in Invercargill on Sunday afternoon, handing out over 100 groceries to people in need.
Demand for food parcels in Southland is skyrocketing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rising food costs, and its need is expected to increase, coal-based organizations say.
Kiwi Harvest presented more than 100 groceries to the general public at Queen’s Park on Sunday afternoon.
Jessie Beer, branch manager of Kiwi Harvest Southland, said it was a good idea to connect with the community by giving a kai parcel to celebrate the first Matariki holiday.
Over 100 parcels contained fresh produce, cereals, milk, drinks, cans, snacks and bread.
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Kiwi Harvest is a national food rescue organization with branches in Invercargill and other parts of New Zealand.
Inverkergill collects surplus and donated food from multiple donors, including companies, and distributes it to 38 community organizations such as food banks, social welfare agencies, lower schools, Malae, kindergartens and Kohangaleo.
These 38 organizations give food to people in need, but struggle to keep up with demand.
The Southlanders, who haven’t had a hard time before, are now looking for food for the first time, and expect to see more in the coming months, Mr. Beer said.
Kiwi Harvest wanted to provide more food to more organizations, so more food providers were needed.
“To achieve this, more local businesses need to participate as donors,” Beer said.
Fiona Hay of Waihopai Haurora, who helped Kiwi Harvest distribute groceries to the public on Sunday, said people in the community were having a hard time.
“Living costs are rising, wages aren’t rising. People have to choose between electricity bills and meetings, and it’s just a cheap meeting,” she said.
“Face it, it’s expensive when you go to the supermarket [for good food].. “
She said the people who sought food were people of all disciplines.
“It’s amazing.”