Pegasus Post: February 29, 2024

Thursday February 29 2024 7
Gardeners plan pantry
after health scare
• By Sasha Watson
A FOOD pantry will be set
up for the Travis Country
community in Burwood by keen
gardeners, Nick and Megan
Hamilton.
It comes
after they moved
from their sheep
and beef farm in
North Canterbury
to Travis
Country in April
2022, following a
Nick
Hamilton
Megan
Hamilton
health scare.
“My father had
a brain bleed and
died suddenly
in 2020. Shortly
after, I began
to get intense
headaches. I
thought it was
depression,” said
Hamilton.
“But, the
headaches kept
getting worse so
I went in for a scan. The doctors
found a brain tumour and operated
on it.
“They are happy with its
progress and I’ve begun working
again, for a farming bank. With
a health scare like this, it makes
you think about what is important
in life.”
HELPING HAND: A food
pantry, similar to the
Somerfield Community
Pantry, is being set up for
Travis Country by keen
gardeners, Nick and Megan
Hamilton.
PHOTO: FACEBOOK
Hamilton said spending time
with his family and “making sure
to live every day” was his focus
now, as well as spending time in
his vegetable garden.
“The share pantry idea started
with Megan, as we had an overabundance
of all sorts of things.
In Amberley, there was a similar
pantry which was quite successful,”
said Hamilton.
Hamilton went to the Waitai-
Coastal-Burwood-Linwood
Community Board last year with
his proposal. He has been working
on a design, with help from
builders in the area.
Said Hamilton: “I can swing
a hammer, but I’m no builder. I
would like the pantry to be built
well and serve the community
for many years to come as excess
produce would be put into a
green bin otherwise.”
He said there was a need for it
with the cost of living.
Community board member
Greg Mitchell was supportive
of the idea. He said St Paul’s
Lutheran Church has offered to
host the pantry in the church car
park.
The local primary school and
kindergarten have also expressed
interest in helping with the project,
Mitchell said.
“There are so many bad
things going on – it is nice to see
good things, like this initiative,
happening.”
Hamilton hopes the pantry
will be up and running by spring.
• To help with the Travis
Country share pantry
project, get in touch
with Nick Hamilton at
omihiham@gmail.com
LONG DISTANCE: Four teenagers and four adults made
up the Saturday ride group with half opting to finish the
ride at 50km, and the rest continuing on to Akaroa.
Riders improve lives
• From page 1
“I feel like the east gets the raw
deal in terms of infrastructure
and places to ride along,” said
Muir.
“The area holds many families
with low incomes and they can’t
afford to buy a bike from a
shop.
“A lot of the kids from the
area have never been to the Port
Hills, so we take them out to
see different places and get into
nature. We also help reduce the
chance of antisocial behaviours
later in life.”
CJ is one of just over 920 people
who have received a donated
bike since the group began
three years ago. He volunteers
on Thursdays to help other kids
repair their bikes.
In about eight weeks the
group will donate their 1000th
bike to someone in need.
As someone who has always
“loved and appreciated” bike
riding, Muir found a big need
for both getting people on bikes
and taking people out for rides,
especially after the February 22,
2011 earthquake.
He started the initiative as
it sits well with his “values of
creating a clean environment”
and reducing carbon emissions.
The group is funded by the
city council and organisations
from around the area and operates
from the Breezes Rd Baptist
Church every Thursday from
3-6pm.
“The feedback we get is that
we’re making a big difference.
We have also had comments
about this initiative being
life-changing for some,” Muir
said.