Food rescue groups divert 24 million meals from waste to plate around the country stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Just Zilch volunteers gave away the packed lunches, with people initially unsure about the offer. Eventually a queue formed. Some returned to their offices, but others sat in The Square and ate. Director Rebecca Culver said Just Zilch gave away more than 1000 lunches, including 144 kilograms of bananas. “It’s a good opportunity just to share with the community,” she said. She was calling for people to grab one of the meals, even if they took the food home and ate it later. “Please, I need to give away the food.”
David Unwin/Stuff The remaining food was likely to be given away at the Just Zilch store.
“They have got 4000 lunches and they re doing that as a trial run because school hasn t started yet.” The Ministry of Education has this year extended its free school lunches programme to schools across the country and it will start next week when term one starts. She said Compass Group had contacted Just Zilch through the New Zealand food rescue network. Culver said of the other 2000 lunches they were given, 1000 would be given out in the Just Zilch shop and the other 1000 would be given to community organisations such as Te Pataka Kai 4412 on Maxwells Line and UCOL. She said being able to give away 4000 lunches would be “huge” and would help a lot of people.
Zubeda Shariff, manager of Palmerston North Women s Refuge, sorts through boxes of donations. It s difficult knowing she would spend Christmas comfortably surrounded by family, food and presents, while others would not. “You dig through your own cupboards, Shariff said. “I had to go through my pantry to make sure I could bring some stuff here.” Unlike Women’s Refuge a few blocks away, the Salvation Army has an abundance of donations and gifts ready for the 400 people expected to stop by before next Friday. Captain Michelle Lee, from Palmerston North’s Salvation Army, was busy keeping its makeshift Christmas toy shop and food parcels in shipshape.