Vinnies face continued demand for food parcels

The Vinnies are continuing to meet a strong demand for assistance, as the rising cost of living impacts on disadvantaged communities.

The current demand for food parcels in Auckland is about 500 food parcels a week, with peak demand this year reaching 1200 food parcels. Covid has a long tail, and there are many layers of need in the community, said Delphina Soti, general manager of St Vincent de Paul Hub in Auckland.

“The mental health of a lot of people has been affected by Covid. Probably about a third of those we are dealing with cannot work for one reason or another — they might have health or mental health issues, or have very young children. The benefit does not suffice, and they cannot work,” Ms Soti said.

“There’s a lot of talk about things coming back to normal but, in reality, recovery takes a couple of years. Employment rates may be at their highest, but some families are juggling three or four jobs that don’t pay as well as the jobs they used to have pre-Covid. There are more industrial jobs which pay the bills, but the work is harder and takes a toll on family members. We also have a lot of young Pasifika and Maori people who are opting not to go on to tertiary education as their families are struggling, and they need to work to bring in more money.”

Ms Soti cited the costs of housing, rental accommodation, debt-servicing, food and petrol as major pressure points for struggling families.

“Food is becoming so expensive that it has become a discretionary item. People opt to pay for housing and amenities before food. The food parcels which we distribute are based on larger [family] units, are high in nutritional value and make a significant difference to families. We follow the ‘Standard Food Parcel’ measure established by Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective. We have done a lot of work to ensure our parcels are tailored to the needs of different families, for example Halal, Pasifika, vegan and so forth.”

Each food pack has a fruit and vegetable box of 20-25kgs, plus a “frozen” box, with at least 3kgs of meat or poultry and dairy items such as milk, cheese and butter. There is also a box of dry ambient goods, and a separate pack of either toiletries and sanitary or cleaning items.

 Expansion

When the effects of the pandemic began to escalate in 2020, Vinnies Auckland expanded their operation from a 200 square metre warehouse to an 1100 square metre warehouse. People are referred to Vinnies from a range of sources, and their needs are assessed by a Vinnies triage team. The food hub operates a drive-through system, which allows people who have already registered to come at an allocated time to pick up their food-boxes.

“Hundreds of boxes are pre-packed by staff and volunteers throughout the week. On pick-up day, it’s like a drive-through takeaway service,” Ms Soti said. “We had to figure out a way to meet the huge demand and keep it safe, dignified and non-contact.”

Ms Soti said that the full impact of Covid-19 has yet to be seen, in terms of “the rising cost of living and the uncertainty which people are feeling. These combined pressures are really affecting people’s income, their psyche and well-being. We are seeing a lot of business owners and working families who are struggling during these unpredictable and fluctuating times.”

Vinnies are working with a range of networks, farms and food producers to procure nutritious food at cost price. As well as offering emergency food parcels, the Vinnies Auckland hub team are exploring a cooperative model, which would allow low-income families to access good quality food for a fraction of the normal cost.

“It is not dignified for our whanau to be on the emergency food scheme long-term. Many who come through to access emergency parcels express their gratitude, and also the shame of having to ask for an emergency food parcel. They are always wanting to contribute and give back. The co-op approach would allow whanau to purchase, and have access to, enough good quality, low-cost food,” Ms Soti said.

“Food insecurity is a growing concern in our local communities. We need to lobby our leaders and those who make the decisions, but we also need to encourage a community response. We are currently working with schools, community groups and parishes on this. These efforts include workshops on how we can work towards a food-secure community; it includes gleaning on farms, sourcing land to plant community gardens and so forth.

“On Saturdays, Vinnies Auckland host large community service days in the food hub where hundreds of boxes are packed and processed by volunteers. Some of these people have received food parcels themselves, so they become part of the Vinnies volunteer base. We invite people to come down here, and help us make a response, but we also have a korero about how we can do things differently to procure more food for our whanau.”