Food donations without judgement

In times of hardship, sometimes the last thing you feel like doing is letting anyone see your struggle. Whether a matter of pride or a wish to carry on as normal, it makes asking for help feel challenging. There’s that little nagging feeling that by struggling - whether financially or otherwise - that you’re failing at life somehow, which is far from the truth.

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Removing this barrier is a big part of what makes the Otūmoetai Social Supermarket (OSS) unique. Created in 2022 as a way to provide a helping hand to families in the area when they need it, the initiative puts the power back in their shoppers’ hands, making the experience a dignified one.

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For one of their shoppers, this fear of being judged or feeling ‘less than’ almost stopped them from coming in at a time they needed support the most.

This is not uncommon, and to help their recipients feel comfortable the OSS replicate a “normal” supermarket experience as much as possible. This means stocking their shelves with everything from sanitary products, to easter eggs during Easter, to the daily basics. Shoppers then use a points system to choose their own items based on their families needs, rather than be handed a standard food parcel.

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To do this however, OSS needs support. Recently PAKn’SAVE Tauranga partnered with us to give their customers the chance to pay-it-forward as part of their grocery shop. With a long history of supporting community initiatives, this was the first time the store had given customers the chance to join them in their efforts.

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In just two weeks PAK’nSAVE’s customers paid-forward a grand total of $10,975, which will be used to supply groceries for the Social Supermarket’s shelves. 

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That is the equivalent of helping 439 people get groceries in a time of food insecurity and financial hardship.

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A big thank you to all who were involved, your generosity is an inspiration to us all.