Foodbanks face 'staggering' need from struggling families as cost of living Covid bite hard

Thursday, 21 October 2021

Christchurch City Missioner Matthew Mark, right, says meals given out last month were more than double those from the same time last year.

Before New Zealand’s first Covid-19 lockdown last year, Toni and her husband ran their own small business.

But when the pandemic hit the money stopped flowing, and the Christchurch family’s previously comfortable life turned on its head.

They fought to breathe life back into their company, but eventually they just had to cut their losses and walk away.

“I have two small kids and I couldn’t feed them for a while. Our power even got cut off … and that was just after the first lockdown,” said Toni, which is not her real name.

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Canterbury’s foodbanks say they are seeing “staggering” need among families, as costs of living rise and the flow on effects from the pandemic take hold. (File photo)

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John and Janice Milligan run Foodbank Canterbury, which collects safe, nutritious surplus food from all sectors of the food industry and redistributes it to charities. (First published 18 December 2020)

It was one of their darkest times, but Hoon Hay Food Bank and its founder, Corrin Webster, made all the difference.

Now Toni wants to encourage others to support the foodbank as it faces staggering need from families like hers.

Canterbury’s social services say they are facing a sharp hike in families left struggling as the cost of living rises and the flow-on effects from the pandemic take hold.

Foodbank Canterbury is only able to meet about a quarter of the demand from welfare agencies to feed struggling families, which is leaving staff “apprehensive” about the upcoming busier festive season.

On top of the usual need, white-collar workers and double-parent families are increasingly struggling to pay mortgages and are asking for help to put food on the table, agencies say.

Toni said Canterbury’s foodbanks deserve all the help they can get.

“When we went to ask for help from Work and Income … they just wouldn’t listen. [But] when I went to the Hoon Hay Food Bank, Corrin and his partner really made me feel heard.

“He said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you and your family’.”

The foodbank supplied them fresh meat and vegetables until they were able to start receiving a benefit, she said.

“I felt so much less stress, I’d recommend them to anyone.”

Foodbank Canterbury chief executive John Milligan says the organisation can only meet 27 per cent of demand from social services in Canterbury.

Toni was a little embarrassed to ask for help at first – and her husband still does not know they received food parcels – but now she wanta to encourage others in her position to get help if they need it.

“If you need help, you need help. There’s no point in suffering. You can always pay it forward later, by helping someone else.”

Foodbank Canterbury chief executive officer John Milligan said food insecurity – not being able to put nutritious food on the table every day – was increasing across more than one socio-economic group.

Christchurch City Missioner Matthew Mark says the mission has given out double the number of meals this month than it did the same time last year.

“We’ve noticed what we call a change in our need demographic. There are a lot of people putting their hand up who have never put their hand up before.”

In September alone, it distributed 103 tonnes of food – about 294,000 meals – to more than 150 agencies in Christchurch.

Last year, it distributed about 30 to 35 tons of food a month.

It is now only meeting about 27 per cent of the demand, he said, and had not had its usual lull in need during the year.

He put that down to a “heavy” increase in costs of living.

Stats NZ reported last Monday that annual inflation had jumped to 4.9 per cent in the September quarter, up from 3.3 per cent in the previous quarter.

However, incomes are growing more slowly, with the latest available data putting average wage inflation at 2.1 per cent.

Hoon Hay Food Bank’s Corrin Webster is seeing an increase in families coming forward struggling to pay mortgages.

Christchurch City Missioner Matthew Mark said they had also seen an increase in need compared with last year – with 54,500 meals given out this month as opposed to 25,000 in the same month in 2020.

About 40 per cent of those coming forward for help have never accessed social service support before, and 10 per cent are homeowners.

“Covid is a very strong determinant in that, but [there has also been] a significant rise in costs.

“What we’ve had historically has been amplified.”

0800 HUNGRY warehouse supervisor Nicky Bensemann said they had a 60 per cent increase in clients in the first week of the recent lockdown.

She predicted the need would only increase if Covid-19 made its way into low-income homes in Ōtautahi.

Hoon Hay Food Bank's Corrin Webster said the organisation helped 180 to 200 families each week, and that almost doubled over lockdown, particularly as schools that usually fed children were closed.

They are now seeing two-parent families with mortgages having to make choices about what bills to pay.

“We’ve been surprised with how many people [have sought help] that from the outside seem like they’re doing OK.”

More beneficiaries also came on referral from Work and Income due to having exhausted the grants available.

“It says something about the demand, if people are continuously going to WINZ for grants and going over that [limit].”

Ministry of Social Development client service general manager Kay Read said it approved 93 per cent of the applications it received, giving out more than 100,000 food grants in September.

The limit for a single person with no children is $200 a year for special needs food grants, while married couples without children can get $300. Single people or married couples with one or two children can get $450, and single or married couples with more than three children can get $550.

The ministry also has discretion to provide additional money depending on a family’s circumstances.

Since the Delta outbreak began in August, an extra $38.15 million has been provided to food banks and support services, she said.