The Salvation Army (NZ) is a Christian organisation that helps people find hope. It aims to enable people to live free from material hardship, be healthy and resilient, enjoy strong, supportive relationships, and build firm foundations that are rooted in faith.
As part of this mission, the Army provides food services in Taranaki, and they’ve recently overhauled the entire programme.
“We needed to transform our foodbank programme to provide better outcomes for the whānau we support,” said Amy Denham, Community Ministries Manager.
“In New Plymouth, we were running large numbers from a small, dingy room, and we were running out of food and space. But we knew that people needed far more than just food. To bring about real change, we had to redesign the programme and connect more closely with other support agencies in the area.”
Thanks to funding from Toi Foundation, the Army in Taranaki has been able to build new infrastructure, create the Kai Plan for new whānau, offer wraparound support and strengthen partnerships with other community organisations.
“Now, rather than handing out pre-made parcels, we have a social supermarket set up in New Plymouth and a choice-model pantry in Hāwera and Stratford. We can provide more food, and there’s far less wastage when people can choose what they want to eat,” said Amy.
Volunteers support shoppers as they move through the supermarket—sharing meal ideas, offering budgeting tips and building relationships along the way.
“There are currently around 60 whānau on Kai Plans, and we support many more through our new wellbeing services, financial mentoring, counseling, coffee and cooking groups, and our Positive Lifestyles Programme,” said Amy.
“We also run regular partnership breakfasts to encourage connection between local agencies, so we all gain a better understanding of the support available in our community.
“We are so thankful to Toi for supporting us and making these changes possible, we could not have done it without them.”
