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Thursday <strong>January</strong> <strong>25</strong> <strong>2024</strong> 3<br />
Feeding vulnerable communities<br />
a team effort, says award recipient<br />
• By Sasha Watson<br />
FOUNDING charities to<br />
stabilise food insecurity in<br />
schools and vulnerable groups<br />
has seen community advocate<br />
Verity Verster receive a city<br />
council civic award.<br />
The Shirley resident was<br />
surprised to be recognised for<br />
her voluntary services at the city<br />
council’s annual ceremony.<br />
“In November, I was informed<br />
that I had won an award. I didn’t<br />
know I was nominated so it was<br />
a bit of a surprise.”<br />
Verster, a social worker,<br />
founded Kai for the Community<br />
Charitable Trust, in 2018 and<br />
Mums on Meals in 2020.<br />
Kai for the Community, which<br />
was started to address food<br />
poverty within the central city,<br />
is run by volunteers who provide<br />
in-house hot meal services.<br />
“I feel like an imposter<br />
receiving this award because<br />
it isn’t just me, there are<br />
many people, volunteers, and<br />
supporters who are working in<br />
the background, who should<br />
receive it too,” Verster said.<br />
“We also offer social<br />
needs support and practical<br />
information to external agencies<br />
to about 110 people from<br />
ACKNOWLEDGED: Verity Verster receiving her award from Mayor Phil Mauger and Linwood Ward councillor Yani Johanson,<br />
and with the Kai for the Community team.<br />
vulnerable communities every<br />
Sunday afternoon.”<br />
Mums on Meals is a division<br />
of Kai for the Community with<br />
eight volunteers who work on<br />
a rostered system, catering for<br />
selected Christchurch East<br />
schools that do not qualify for<br />
Government or other agencies’<br />
funding programmes.<br />
“The division works closely<br />
with social workers in schools to<br />
identify the children in need<br />
and support them with homecooked<br />
and high-nutritional<br />
meals, like cottage pie and<br />
lasagne served with vegetables,”<br />
said Verster.<br />
“We are currently working<br />
with about 40 to 50 children.<br />
Food insecurity does not just<br />
affect the individual, it is the<br />
entire classroom feeling those<br />
effects too.”<br />
Both Kai<br />
for the<br />
Community<br />
and Mums<br />
on Meals<br />
aim to<br />
stabilise food<br />
insecurity in<br />
schools and<br />
vulnerable<br />
communities.<br />
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