Unique partnership between Council and Food Bank

In October 2009 the Council voted to hold a joint campaign with Christian Social Services to support Wanganui's Food Bank operation.

At its meeting held on October 19, the council resolved:

THAT a joint Wanganui District Council/CSSW Wanganui Food Bank campaign include:

• Wanganui District Council's support with publicity and promotion: providing Food Bank Campaign information in Community Link, the Council's Community Report, and in notes to ratepayers.
• Three-monthly public appeals.
• Approaching local supermarkets for containers and tamper-proof receptacles.
• Making available up to $10,000 from the Mayoral Relief Fund for a 'dollar for dollar' appeal.
• Investigating the ability for the Council to assist with storage of food in Council-owned or Council-controlled buildings.

"The City Missioner says that the Food Bank is often the entrance point for families seeking extended social services, including budget skills and parenting skills, to achieve a long lasting improvement in our lifestyles," Mayor Michael Laws said.

"We need to ensure that this essential community service is retained and the Council is committed to supporting it on an ongoing basis. The current tough economic and financial times mean we should help the most vulnerable and needy in our community, and especially those with children.

"Food Bank is not a soft touch but an organisation that helps the tummy and then starts assisting with budgetary skills - this is a practical charity. The joint campaign is a major social policy initiative and the beginning of an ongoing relationship."

City Missioner Shirley-Joy Barrow said children and their families are high users of the service as they continue to be affected by the economic downturn.

"These children and teenagers are often hungry because of the behaviour of their parents. Our social work has increased as we enter into relationships with these families and encourage them to change their behaviour.

"So far this year, along with their parent/s, we have fed 826 children and teenagers. We have had more first time families requiring food parcels – 84 so far in 2009 – and more families turning up at Friendship Meals, especially during school holidays.

"If we give out 150 food parcels per month at $80 per parcel, that's more than $140,000 worth of food that we have to find every year, so we are very grateful for community donations. We will also be working hard to match the extremely generous 'dollar for dollar' contribution from the Mayoral Relief Fund."