Foodstuffs, the company behind the likes of New World, Pak'nSave and Four Square, will donate $1 million to groups supporting Kiwis facing tough times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With supermarkets open during the alert level 4 lockdown and facing large customer demand, the company has been focussed on supporting its essential workers on the frontline.
However, it says it will also pledge $1 million to assist its social and charitable partners in supporting New Zealand's most vulnerable individuals "at a time when they have seen significant reductions in contributions and increased demand". The donation will help groups expand initiatives focussed on getting groceries to "physically and financially vulnerable" Kiwis.
"We are grateful for the patience and kindness New Zealanders are showing as we continue to navigate these challenging times together," said Foodstuffs South Island chief executive Steve Anderson.
"We are committed to our responsibility to feed New Zealand, and we look forward to working with our partners over the coming weeks to provide them with meaningful financial and practical support."
A full list of the donation recipients will be released next month, but will include food banks, food rescue partners, Eat My Lunch and the Student Volunteer Army, which has already received an $80,000 donation via New World to help it get food to homebound elderly and vulnerable people.
“We saw the need to support our older and more vulnerable members of our community and enable them to keep themselves safe during this difficult time, and ensuring they were able to access groceries was an important part of that puzzle,” Student Volunteer Army founder and chief executive Sam Johnson said.
The company has also donated $100,000 to kickstart an Eat My Lunch initiative delivering food packs to homes of 2000 children who used to benefit from school food programmes in Auckland and Wellington.
"Just because schools are closed doesn’t mean the need to feed hungry kids goes away," said Lisa King, the founder of Eat My Lunch.
