Auckland Foodbanks in Dire Need During Level 4 Lockdown
Communities without access to basic needs during lockdown. Auckland Foundation COVID-19 Community Response Fund seeks to inspire your generosity.
COVID-19 continues to have a huge impact on communities across Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. With lockdown this August, we are back in familiar territory, and for a lot of Aucklanders, Lockdown is a time a great stress; financially, mentally, and sometimes physically, with families and wider communities having difficulty getting access to food and shelter.
Last year Auckland Foundation established our COVID-19 Community Response Fund. The fund was set up to help those with immediate needs across Auckland, supporting the increased demand on foodbanks, supporting families and helping to keep people, particularly women and children safe when living in confined bubbles can no longer do that.
Similarly, this month, we have been approached by a number of organisations around Tāmaki Makaurau who are looking for our help.
One South Auckland foodbank has noted that food parcel requests are up 350% from 57.3 food parcels average per day (or 4092 meals) to over 200 food parcels per day (or 14,285 meals) in the week since we have been in Level 4. This foodbank has calculated the costs of this to be an additional $5,000 per week.
To give you an insight this foodbank has requests from:
“Single father with 2 boys, low income and no vehicle. Due to lockdown has been buying food from dairy and has taken a lot of money in order to do so. Struggling financially and struggling for food and the ability to go and get food.”
“Single mum with 4 children, and an elderly dependent. Cannot make it to supermarket with all her children, and the elderly person is unable to watch over the children on their own, needing food please.”
“Husband was full time worker but now on wage subsidy which covers just rent and bills and not enough for food.”
This is just one foodbank, we have requests from many hardworking amazing organisations who are battling to cope with the increased demand caused by lockdowns.
So, we are encouraging you to help support your Auckland community if you are in a position to do so. 100% of your donation goes towards supporting those during these incredibly challenging times.
