The Sunnynook Community’s Centre’s food pantry initiative is providing food for locals struggling to meet increased living costs with help from local businesses, community members and the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.
Sunnynook Manager Bronwyn Bound explains that the centre - which is funded by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board - started the food pantry initiative during the 2021 lockdown after seeing calls for help on local community Facebook pages
"There is such a need out there. People were asking 'Where can I get food?' 'Is there anyone out there that can help?' And it wasn’t just solo parents, but also students struggling to pay rent with no money left over for food.
"So I touched base with a guy at a local wholesaler who said they regularly have to throw away damaged bags of food. Now we put that food into bags, seal it up and put it in the food pantry,” Bound says.
The food pantry project has snowballed since then and now receives regular donations from local businesses, households, and a range of community groups, including a recent food drive by the Parklane Retirement Village.
Bound is also keen to acknowledge the help of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board in making the food pantry a reality.
“Community centres wouldn’t operate without board support because that’s where the funding comes from to manage projects like this. That’s why it's so crucial to have a strong working relationship with your local board.”
For more information about the food pantry or the other board-funded initiatives and events run by the Sunnynook Community Centre, go to their website or follow them on their Facebook page.
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