Kindergarten puts kai on the table for families

When the staff at Waverley Street Kindergarten in Richmond noticed families were struggling with the cost of living, they went looking for food.

Now the kindergarten has a community table outside its gate once a week, stocked with food from Kai Rescue, where families can pick up a few items to top up their pantry.

Teacher Leah Kilkelly says that they knew some families were finding it tough to cover living costs and this initiative was one way it could help a little.

“Like many in our community, our kindergarten families are facing the rising costs of everyday living – rent, fuel, food, power and school expenses. Many also experience additional family stresses, such as separation or blended family-whānau dynamics,” she says.

“Even families that look okay aren’t necessarily doing okay financially which flows on to their well-being. When we heard about Kai Rescue, we thought people could come in and grab what they need.”

The Kai Rescue programme, run by the Nelson Environment Centre, reduces food waste by collecting surplus food or food that cannot be sold from local businesses and redistributing it to community organisations that help people in need.

A kindergarten volunteer picks up a mix of food from Kai Rescue once a week to put on its community table that may include anything from fresh bread and vegetables to packaged goods.

“We’re open arms to whatever we get. It all goes. At the beginning, people were more cautious about it, but when they could see there was a lot, they felt okay about taking food. Everyone is feeling the cost-of-living crisis, and we could see the shift in the community. We’re targeting people who need it, but we’re all struggling.”

Leah says families are encouraged to both give and take from the initiative, including food, clothing and household items, to help build a spirit of generosity and connection. Hard times has also prompted families to share cost-effective ideas such as how to refresh bread, to reduce food waste and stretch their budgets a little further. She says other groups are looking at similar ventures to help families and for the Kai Rescue programme, it depends on volunteers to pick the food up from Nelson.

Nelson Environment Centre chief executive, Anton Drazevic, says more groups are applying for food from Kai Rescue as families struggle with the cost of living.

“We’re really fortunate, through serendipity rather than planning, we’ve been able to secure more food than ever before – and it’s all going.”

The retail value of the food redistributed through Kai Rescue to community groups is now $1.6 million a year and Anton says it is increasing each year. He says, one of the food sources for the organisation is local Woolworths supermarkets.