NZ families receive a helping hand
Pitching in to help pack food boxes ready for distribution by the New Zealand Food Network.
New Zealand families in need of a helping hand are receiving support through a partnership between Sanitarium Health Food Company and the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) .
Over the past four years, the partners have gifted the equivalent of 10-million serves of breakfast around the country—a huge achievement in assisting NZFN to improve food security across Aotearoa.
“We are extremely grateful for the generosity that Sanitarium has shown over the past four years, and their ongoing passion for our mission,” NZFN chief executive Gavin Findlay said. “Their consistent support has meant we can provide the communities we serve with healthy breakfasts, especially as more and more whānau struggle to put meals on the table.”
Under the partnership, NZFN’s two centralised distribution centres receive, sort and store donated food from food donors. This is then distributed to 65 registered food hubs.
Demand for these services is higher than ever. A Salvation Army State of the Nation 2024 report revealed that more than one in five households with children under 15 years reported that “food runs out often or sometimes”, which is up from 14 per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, Pacific households with children are most heavily affected, with 40 per cent reporting food runs out often or sometimes.
Sanitarium NZ general manager Michael Barton praised the partnership experience, saying, “Serving our communities in need is part of our purpose to ensure even those who are facing hard times have access to nutritious foods. Our partnership with New Zealand Food Network ensures that this gets to the communities that need it most, building healthy, sustainable communities together.”
Sanitarium Health Food Company is owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.