Nor'West News: September 24, 2020

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16 Thursday September 24 2020 Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz NOR’WEST NEWS News Christchurch STORES Foodbank adapts to meet pandemic demands Myriad groups help keep our community moving. Reporter Bea Gooding speaks to Foodbank Canterbury co-founders John and Janice Milligan about how the charity has adapted to support vulnerable Cantabrians SURGE: Cofounder and general manager Janice Milligan, of Foodbank Canterbury, where demand has increased 106 per cent since the beginning of this year. Downsizing? Decluttering? Please help support local St John activities by donating good quality pre-loved clothing, jewellery, homeware, furniture and books to one of your local St John Christchurch stores. We welcome donations dropped of at either: 272 Lincoln Road, Addington or 180 Durham Street South, City or please call 027 304 7821 to book a donation collection. Could you tell me a bit about what Foodbank Canterbury does? Foodbank Canterbury is a secular, independent non-faith based, non-politically aligned, non-activist controlled food rescue organisation with a singular mission in mind – to fight hunger, feed hope and reduce food waste. Under “normal” times, FBC rescues two tonnes of food per day which resources over 5800 meals daily for the vulnerable and at-risk in the Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast regions. We are a 100 per cent not-forprofit organisation dealing with over 135 agencies throughout Christchurch alone – everyone from The City Mission, St Vinnies, the maraes and other iwi organisations, Pasifika groups, Women’s Refuges, Community Centres and food pantries, school districts etc. What kind of impact does your charity have on the environment and vulnerable Cantabrians? Collecting and distributing nearly 1.8 million meals worth of food each year through a network of partner programs gives us a stark understanding of the everyday realities of food insecurity. On a per-volume basis, FBC is the largest food relief organisation in the South Island, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the front-line charities who are feeding vulnerable New Zealanders. FBC provides more than 70 per cent of the food rescued for food relief organisations South Island-wide. Our volunteers are vital to our success and have contributed some 65,000 hours of their time in the last twelve months. To us, that’s worth over $1.6 million. Foodbank represents a ‘triple-win’ for our communities – reducing food wastage and protecting the environment; providing food relief to hungry and vulnerable people; and strengthening our society through collaboration with local charities and volunteerism. What issues are the charity currently facing in the wake of Covid-19? In the current Covid-19 situation, we are processing and redistributing just on 100 tonnes of food product monthly – resourcing around 9,000 meals per day. That is an increase of 106 per cent since the beginning of 2020. We are under no illusions about the challenge we are embracing. The current pandemic situation has made us at FBC realise this even more. Feeding the hungry is paramount. We are feeding people who have never put their hand up in need before, and the scary thing is that we do not know where we are going. There is no template. In spite of our suppliers – the supermarkets, manufacturers, distributors, growers and farmers being very supportive, FBC is still having to raise funding to buy-in staple food products to supplement what we distribute. We are also concerned that our rural areas are not being served and we plan to resolve this as soon as funding is available. We have seen over the past months, an explosion of altruism and co-operation. Now we need to move forward in not just a spirit of collaboration, but in a realistic act of collaboration to simply achieve. At FBC our byline is “fighting hunger – feeding Hope.” It is this hope that impels us to act. How has the charity adapted to these changes caused by the pandemic? In order to fill the gaps in demand left by the more tradition food pantries serving individuals, FBC is introducing the Hunger Action Team programme in NZ. By introducing HATs Foodbank Aotearoa New Zealand/Canterbury, it changes what it means to be a food bank. This is an innovation driven by the current environment. HATs are groups of individuals and organisations working in collaboration to solve hunger in a designated community. They are coalitions that bring people from across a community together to develop local solutions to hunger, supplying 10 day, two-week family packages of nutritious food to vulnerable whanau. Starting in Christchurch with initial collaboration with FBC, He Waka Tapu and Rotary International, HATs will be working in towns and neighbourhoods across the region – leveraging local resources and relationships to raise awareness about hunger, connect services to make it easier for people to get help, and launch new initiatives that strengthen each community’s capacity to meet local needs. • Recycled junk, page 18
NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Thursday September 24 2020 17 Play time for kids planned on streets SOME LOCAL streets could be temporarily closed to traffic and turned into play areas in a series of pop-up events funded by the Government. The city council has received a grant of just over $39,000 for the Play Streets initiative. The project is being led by Sport Canterbury’s Healthy Families Ōtautahi Christchurch team, and transport consultancy ViaStrada with support from the council. There will be 12 Play Streets events held around the city. A street will be temporarily closed to traffic and the local community will be invited to scoot, bike and play safely. Play Streets is designed to encourage kids to be active and creative while boosting social connections between neighbours, and recognising the importance of play to children’s lives and community well-being. Council urban development and transport committee chairman Mike Davidson said many children were able to use their local street more during the Covid-19 lockdown. Many decorated pavements with chalk art, played sport and rode their bikes. “By introducing the Play Streets concept in Christchurch we hope to give families the opportunity to experience the streets free of traffic for a short time, and make them a lively shared space for learning and connecting.” Children will be able to walk, bike or scoot around the street and will be encouraged to bring play items out of their homes and garages to share with friends and neighbours. Sport Canterbury’s Healthy Families Ōtautahi Christchurch play systems innovator Adam Gard’ner is thrilled the project is going ahead. “Providing temporary closure on some streets to allow neighbourhoods and communities to use the space to connect and play can contribute to longer term well-connected and safe individuals, whānau, neighbourhoods and communities.” ViaStrada Ltd senior transportation engineer Gemma Dioni said streets “are a resource that are available to us all, and closing them for a few hours on a weekend will give the kids a chance to play freely and actively outside their front door in a safe and fun environment.” Each event would last for between two and four hours and ACTIVE: Closing some streets temporarily for two to four hours will allow children to play and connect with others. PHOTO: NEWSLINE the timing will be arranged with the community. There will be temporary restrictions on vehicle movements through the street for residents, as vehicles are not permitted to travel through a road closure (except for emergency vehicles). Locations will be finalised over the coming weeks. Play Streets will be held from December 2020 to February 2021. THE 2020 GENERAL ELECTION AND REFERENDUMS This year you can vote in two referendums. Enrol. Vote. Be heard. vote.nz referendums.govt.nz 0800 36 76 56
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