PAK’nSAVE has announced its plans to help communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle through a new initiative called ‘PAK Your Pantry’. The initiative aims to work with community partners in the worst affected areas to support families who’ve been displaced, or whose homes have been inundated, helping them get back on their feet by providing PAK’nSAVE funds to ‘PAK Your Pantry’.
Andrew Graney, Owner Operator of PAK’nSAVE Tamatea in Napier said: “Many Kiwi families have lost everything in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. Packing their pantries full of essentials when they get back home or move into new accommodation is something we can do to help. We know people are doing it tough and we want to make it as simple and easy as possible for those affected to get back on their feet.”
“PAK Your Pantry is about providing practical support. We’ve put together a shopping list of essential items to help families and we’ll distribute gift cards through our community partners who are supporting whānau across Hawkes Bay, Coromandel, Gisborne, Wairoa, Northland and Auckland.”
The support is focused on getting the essentials back in the pantries of families who’ve been severely impacted and rebuilding communities through local organisations. PAK’nSAVE is committed to working with local partners to ensure the support reaches those who need it most.
Graney adds: “Being a Hawkes Bay local, I’ve experienced the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle first hand. As a group of PAK’nSAVE store owners we want to do our part in helping Kiwis who’ve been severely impacted and ‘PAK Your Pantry’ is our way of providing practical support to families in need. We hope our efforts will help ease the burden for those affected and assist in helping them get back on their feet.”
PAK’nSAVE’s community partners will distribute gift cards to families who have been severely impacted. The dollar value recipients will receive is based on the size of the family, with a small whānau of two adults and two children receiving $600 to ‘PAK Your Pantry’ and a larger whānau of four adults and six children receiving $800.
PAK’nSAVE’s community partner for Hawkes Bay is Nourished for Nil, a Hasting’s based food rescue organisation. Christina McBeth, Founder of Nourished for Nil says: “It’s great to be partnering with PAK’nSAVE to help local people get back on their feet. Being a few weeks into the recovery from the cyclone, it’s ideal timing because our communities are slowly starting to come to terms with what’s been a disastrous time. There’s still a long way to go for many, but with this initiative, stocking up on essentials with the support of PAK’nSAVE will be one less thing to worry about for those worst affected.”
PAK’nSAVE’s community partners include:
• Hawke’s Bay, Nourished for Nil
• Northland, Te Hiku Pataka
• Whangarei, 155 Whare Awhina
• Auckland, BBM
• Coromandel, Hauraki Refuge
• Gisborne and Wairoa, SuperGrans
Foodstuffs has made a commitment to be Here for New Zealand and has made social promises to support its local communities to thrive and to support every New Zealander to access healthy and affordable food.
‘PAK Your Pantry’ is the latest initiative from Foodstuffs North Island to support communities affected by the extreme weather and will be funded by PAK’nSAVE’s recent $575,000 donation towards cyclone recovery.
Foodstuffs North Island is the co-operative behind PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square stores and PAK Your Pantry follows $425,000 worth of product, or cash funding that’s already been provided by Foodstuffs North Island to support the immediate need of community partners, and $250,000 of support for growers and partners, bringing the total provided by the co-op to over $1,250,000 so far.
Last month Foodstuffs North Island partnered with Whakarongorau Aotearoa/New Zealand Telehealth Services, to help ensure those impacted and affected know there’s free, 24×7 mental health support available by calling or texting 1737, the national mental health helpline. Stores in affected areas have had messages promoting the 1737 service added to its till receipts, there are announcements playing over instore speaker systems and the service is being promoted via store Facebook pages and over email.
Foodstuffs has also enabled customers to donate directly to the Red Cross New Zealand Disaster Fund through instore posters and QR codes across its 550 stores throughout the North Island and the South Island.
For more information about PAK Your Pantry and PAK’nSAVE’s efforts to support communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, please visit www.paknsave.co.nz/news/2023/cyclone-gabrielle
