It’s been a bumper year for citrus, and Fair Food is happy to receive it to feed families across West Auckland. Allan Pollard, CEO of The Trusts, a local social enterprise which has provided financial support for Fair Food, says, “We want to encourage those who have surplus fruit growing on their trees to pick and donate this to a local food charity – rather than let it go to waste rotting on the ground.”
Thanks to the encouragement of the Trusts, we’ve been getting some beautiful donations of lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins, and grapefruit. And, Jesse Mulligan even gave us a call to chat about it on his RNZ afternoon radio show.
The poverty gap is widening, and pandemic-driven food shortages, inflation and winter heating costs are all impacting already vulnerable families. Around 40% of Kiwi households experience food insecurity, and 19% of our tamariki live in homes where consistency of food supply is a concern.
“I know one woman recently had to stop her children’s sporting activities over the weekend because it became a choice between paying for the petrol to get them there, or buying groceries. I have heard of others having to go without heat. No one should have to be in this position,” says CFO Deb McLaughlin.
