With the Big Auckland Clean Up underway, the efforts to support those who have been affected by the flooding continue. The Auckland Council catering services team are stepping up to the plate delivering around 1,000 meals daily to displaced Aucklanders, and the volunteers and staff responding to the emergency.
As the first Civil Defence Centre opened in Kelston on Friday 27 January, catering staff were onsite delivering hot drinks and sandwiches to the Aucklanders sheltering overnight. Since then, the team have been working non-stop to make sure those in need are catered for. They deliver 500 packed lunches, and 500 hot dinners daily to sites Auckland wide, from Civil Defence Centres to public libraries.
So far that puts the meals delivered at well over 10,000, and the work is expected to continue well into next week. A team of 6 drivers have been making their way to the sites each day. One driver handles each site as much as possible to maintain the personal connection, providing not just a meal but a familiar, friendly face.
To meet the demand, staff from the Nourish Café at Auckland Council’s Albert Street building have been joined by staff from the Manukau Café. The rhythm of the work is a familiar one, modelled after similar deliveries to the Auckland City Mission and other organisations during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Auckland Council catering services have made up to 1,000 meals a day
Sagar Nimkar, Functions Team Leader at Auckland Council, says that the team feel privileged to be able to help with the response. “We are in a lucky position to be able to help the community. A lot of private caterers and restaurants don’t get chances like this.”
The job goes deeper than just delivering meals, Nimkar says. “Even though food is important, it’s also about service – that we deliver, and we talk to them, and we just help out as much as we can.”
If you want to help:
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Check out Volunteer Auckland for a list of where you can find lists of active groups and how to get in touch – that’s whether you want to help or need a helping hand right now.
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If you would like to help with the clean-up efforts, please contact the council on 0800 CLEAN UP (0800 253 268).
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If you cannot physically help but would like to provide financial support, you can also donate to the Auckland Council Emergency Relief Fund.
