The New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) has marked its 5th birthday by raising more than 51,000 meals for people in need.
To recognise five years of distributing food during an ongoing food insecurity crisis, NZFN invited its network of partners and businesses to contribute through The Birthday Wishlist.
Guided by feedback from the community, the wishlist set out items for recipient food hubs to supply to foodbanks, community groups and whānau pantries. These included meat and fish, dairy, eggs, fruit and vegetables, hygiene products and other essentials.
Over two months, partners delivered almost every item on the wishlist, donating 14,050kg of food (31,111 meal equivalents) with a retail value of $222,865. Contributions included beef mince from ANZCO, breakfast cereals from Kellanova and Sanitarium, vegan pies from Dad’s Pies, pet food from Nestlé and coffee from JDE Coffee.
An additional $41,000 was donated to fund in-demand items at prices well below retail, supported by established supplier relationships across the motu. This funding secured 9,025kg of food, equal to 20,055 meal equivalents.
“We are incredibly grateful for everyone who stepped up to help and made our 5th birthday the most impactful yet,” said NZFN chief executive Gavin Findlay.
“We’ll be delivering 100 per cent of the food to our 65 food hubs across the motu as part of their regular deliveries in the coming month, helping them as we emerge from the tough winter period when budgets tighten even further.”
NZFN accepts both surplus stock – products that cannot be sold or exported due to damaged packaging, mislabelling or best before dates – and intentionally donated stock.
“The reality now is that both surplus donations and intentional gifts are very much needed to keep up with the rising demand for food support – which now includes middle-class and double income households,” said Findlay.
“The generosity of our partners over the past two months shows their ongoing commitment to alleviating the burden of the cost-of-living crisis. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”
Despite the success of the birthday campaign, NZFN notes that challenges remain, with food prices, rent and unemployment levels continuing to rise, while resources in the food support sector are under pressure. The organisation continues to call on businesses and individuals to assist through stock donations, financial contributions or volunteering.