Community food bank partnerships a way forward for City Mission

As part of its ongoing effort to improve the way in which its South Auckland food bank services reach those in desperate need, the Auckland City Mission has partnered with Manurewa’s Te Whare Awhina Community House (located within the Clendon Park Community House).

This move is the latest to follow announcements last year that the Mission is partnering with a number of South Auckland community organisations to provide food assistance, as an alternative to having a stand-alone Mission food bank in Otahuhu. As part of the partnership, the Mission provides the community organisations with Mission food parcels, equipment, expertise and social work support.

Manurewa Community Houses Senior Facilities Manager, Jaylene Ball, says the partnership will help channel assistance to those who need it most.

“We see huge benefit from the opportunity the Mission has given this community. The partnership that has been established with Te Whare Awhina O Tamworth has opened the doors to not only a food bank, which will provide immediate relief, but to other services such as the budgeting service, which allows us to provide families with a long term solution too.”

This collaborative approach is a result of the Mission investigating how it can be more responsive to the needs of people using its food bank service. It also follows the establishment of successful partnerships with Ngã Whare Waatea Marae in Mangere and Papakura Marae, which have been operating since December 2013 and October 2014, respectively.

“Feedback gathered via our Family 100 research project last year demonstrated that transport costs associated with traveling to a single food bank service in South Auckland were proving prohibitive for many of Auckland’s most desperate families and individuals,” says Auckland City Missioner, Diane Robertson.

“The City Mission’s decision to partner with carefully selected organisations throughout the South Auckland region is a targeted way of ensuring that essential services are provided to those who need them most.”

People requiring food assistance in South Auckland can visit the Mission’s partner organisations:

The Whare Awhina Community House

Clendon Park Community House

60 Finlayson Avenue, Manurewa

0-9-267 2860

Manukau Urban Maori Authority

Nga Whare Waatea Marae

31 Calthorpe Avenue, Mangere

0-9-277 7886

Papakura Marae

29 Hunua Road

Papakura

0-9-297 2162

Alternatively, they can visit the Auckland City Mission at 140 Hobson Street, Central Auckland, which operates a food bank via its Crisis Care Service.

ENDS

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