Kaibosh solves food poverty

Demand for food from Kaibosh’s Hutt Valley branch has reached an unprecedented level of three times what it provided pre-Corona.

Hutt Valley teams are rescuing and sorting up to a ton of food each day, currently not enough to meet the demands of Petone-based operations. We redistribute fresh and preserved food through 48 community groups in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt.

In March 2022, at the summit of the Omicron Mountains, Kaibosh Hut Valley distributed over 80,000 servings of food to local communities.

make a food appeal

May is a traditional fundraising month in Kaibosch and this year the call to “Feed May” allows small groups to host a fundraising breakfast, lunch or dinner and donate to the cause. we encourage you to do so.

The goal is to raise enough money to provide the equivalent of 100,000 meals.

Funds raised by Kaibosh during the month of May will be used for operating expenses. We have food rescue drivers and vans on the road and operate three locations.

Marketing and communications manager Alex McGibbon said every $20 donated provides 40 meals of food.

The combination of the impact of COVID-19, economic pressures, rising costs of living and growing food insecurity, where demand can often exceed the availability of healthy, nutritious food The organization is located in

Operations manager Lance Williams said more groups are approaching them each week, but demand exceeds Kaibosch’s ability to supply.

Mr. Lance said families seem to face the biggest challenge of putting food on the table.

Kaibosh Food Rescue We have operations in Wellington, Hutt Valley, Kapiti and Holofenua, feeding these areas. 140 charities and community groups Located in the Greater Wellington area.

Food waste prompted a solution

Robin Langlands and George Langlands founded Kaibosh in 2008. It started naturally with an absurd problem. Quality food was wasted while many in the Wellington community were starving.

Kaibosh became New Zealand’s first food rescue organization and has grown into a charity that rescues and redistributes thousands of kilograms of food each month.

More than 90 businesses in the region regularly donate their high-quality surplus food to Kaibosh. Helping people and the planet and saving businesses money on food waste has many benefits.

Kaibosh’s Hutt Valley activity began in 2015 at a building on Dudley Street in the heart of Lower Hutt.

Lance says the coronavirus lockdown has significantly increased food insecurity. Covid-19 regulations allowed more than 200 volunteers to evacuate during the lockdown, but a small number of paid staff continued to receive and ship food.

Before COVID-19, Dudley Street’s operations transported about 11,000 kilos of food a month.

The average monthly amount of food for the year to 31 March 2023 is now 36,000 kg.

Shortly after the initial lockdown, they moved to a larger lot in Petone with space for large trucks to deliver food on pallets. The new site also has walk-in cold and freezer rooms.

The move also allows it to become a hub for the New Zealand Food Network, which operates in key centres. Bulk food is procured by the network. Some are donated, some are purchased. The Covid-19 pandemic has also benefited from the cancellation of some export orders.

Food products handled by Kaibosch fall into four broad categories: staple foods (such as rice), meat, milk, and fruits and vegetables.

Kaibosch’s first food source was the Wishbone store, which specialized in sandwiches and wraps. Kaibosh still receives food donations from Wishbone and is now supported by many Hutt Valley supermarkets and bulk food suppliers.

According to Alex, food companies want to know that what they donate will be distributed to local people.

I made jam from leftover fruit.

Community Fruit Wellington volunteers collect fruit from overgrown gardens and abandoned orchards for Kaibosch. Some are delivered fresh, while the rest are preserved as jams and jellies.

Hutt Valley Kaibosh Center is backed by several large private trusts, Alex said. There is also funding from local and central governments, some focused on minimizing waste and the environmental benefits of keeping perfectly usable food from ending up in landfills. included.

Kaibosh distributes food through community groups. Contacting Kaibosh directly will link you to the appropriate groups that are part of the Kaibosh network.

Alex says anyone looking for food should be able to help by connecting with groups nearby.

Kaibosh Ali and Lance with jelly made by Community Fruit Wellington volunteers

Two Kaibosh-supported Hutt Valley organizations are Alohanui Strings and Orongomai Marae.

Afternoon tea of ​​fruit and bread from Kaibosh will help keep children focused as they learn to play an instrument at Alohanui Strings.

Hundreds of children now receive after-school snacks from Kaibosh every week, said program manager Margaret Gulborg. After six hours at school, I need a snack so I can focus on my instrument lessons, such as violin and double bass.

The charity runs classes in Taita, Stokes Valley, Mt Cook (middle Wellington) and Miramar, targeting children who are less likely to learn an instrument or play in an orchestra.

Margaret said the program has children from more than 30 countries participating and hopes to change the face of classical music.

Orongomai Marae is a community marae in Upper Hutt. The town was built as a partnership between local residents and the many rural Maori who migrated to the city in the 1960s for work and educational opportunities.

Dominique works at Marae Kai Bank. She said they have had a decade-long relationship with Kaibosh, but the impact of COVID-19 has had a huge impact on Marae Whanau through unemployment and all the challenges that have arisen over the past three years.

Twice a week, they collect food from Kaibosh, sort it, and distribute it to families in need.

Dominic says he has distributed to about 40 families and knows how much it has helped them.

They are also delivering food to people in quarantine due to the new coronavirus.

Orongomai supported Kaibosh’s appeal with a fundraising hangi. They bought the food they needed, tickets he sold 100, and for Kaibosch he raised $1,500.

Meanwhile, the Kaibosch team is keen to increase the number of businesses receiving food.

Lance said Kaibosch’s team knows the area probably has a lot more delicious food wasted unnecessarily.

“We would love to hear from more businesses so we can reduce food waste and get quality chi to the locals who really need it,” he says.

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For more information:

For more information on donating or receiving food, please visit our website. Kaibosh.org.nz