Tiwai Aluminium Smelter staff support Southland's crisis helpers

Friday, 8 May 2020

Tiwai Aluminium Smelter presented a donation of food and supermarket vouchers to the Southland Foodbank and the Salvation Army on Friday morning. From left: Tiwai general manager Stew Hamilton, Tiwai staff members Sam Patton and Andrea Carson, with Peter Swain of Southland Foodbank, and Brenda King of the Salvation Army.

A donation of food and grocery vouchers from staff members at Tiwai will be a big lift for the Southland Foodbank as pressure for its services mount, chairman Peter Swain says.

Workers from the smelter visited the food bank on Friday to deliver what they had collected for the Southland Foodbank and the Salvation Army.

Swain said the food bank was helping four to six families a day — including names he'd never seen before — but he expected demand to rise as New Zealand moved to lower alert levels.

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'The wage subsidy will cease and the bills will come in,' he said.

Swain said he needed to acknowledge the generosity of Southlanders who had ensured the food bank could continue operating.

Someone had even donated three cattle beef that could be processed into mince, he said.

Pointing to a stocked room, Swain said the Harcourts Christmas drive was one of the reasons the food bank 'looks so good.'

'As long as it comes in, we can give it out,' he said.

The Salvation Army's community ministries co-ordinator Brenda King shared Swain's sentiments.

'Southlanders need to be applauded,' she said, 'When the chips are down, Southlanders come to the party.'

The Salvation Army was helping 50 to 60 families a week and King also expected that number to rise.

She said the organisation saw a step up in demand from the second week of lockdown already.

Beneficiaries were usually interviewed to understand their circumstances, but since both organisations were assisting Emergency Management Southland during the Covid-19 crisis, King said they were just dealing with names and sending parcels where they were needed.

She was expecting to see more over the coming weeks as families who'd lost good incomes struggled with high overheads they wouldn't be able to cover with social support.

'When the dust settles, people are still going to be in need,' King said, urging Southlanders to continue donating where they could.

The organisation generally operates in Bluff, Invercargill and Riverton, but has expanded its footprint to as far as Lumsden during the crisis.

Tiwai Community relations spokesperson Andrea Carson said she was amazed by the generosity of her colleagues.

They were conscious of the fact that they were privileged to continue working during the lockdown and wanted to help those that couldn't.

Sam Paton, who initiated the collection drive, said she wanted to give back after seeing how many families were struggling.

“It was bringing tears to my eyes watching the news every night,' she said.

Paton was quick to point out that the idea would have meant nothing without her colleagues coming on board.

'It's the people who donate that make a difference,' she said.

The donation included groceries as well as grocery vouchers bought with cash gifted by staff.

'Sometimes it's easier if people have vouchers; then they can buy what they need,' Carson said.

Tiwai general manager Stewart Hamilton said he was proud of his staff's efforts and the fact that they recognised they were privileged to be able to continue working.