For a local food rescue organisation, it is a new year and a new location.
Food Rescue Aoraki had been operating from the Grosvenor Hotel’s old bottle store since 2019, when it was known as Foodbank Aotearoa.
However, with the hotel undergoing building upgrades, the space had been needed for storage.
The organisation — which is located in both Timaru and Ashburton — collects food from producers and supermarkets and sorts it into reused banana boxes to be redirected to foodbanks throughout the area.
Administrator Liz Shea said the food rescue had been offered a few locations free of charge after they had put a call out in September last year.
However, with a large chiller needing to fit into the building and good parking and easy access needed for all of the boxes of food to be carried in and out, sadly none had been suitable.
Instead, the organisation had signed on to a long term lease in Rothwell St.
She said the only down side was now they needed to pay for rental, so the search had begun for funding.
‘‘I think we’ll be fine, it’s just an extra thing to think about.’’
She said all not-for-profits were under pressure for funding — ‘‘everyone’s competing’’.
Mrs Shea said the organisation was saving the planet ‘‘one banana box at a time’’.
The team were often donated vegetables and other foods packaged in plastic, which — if not donated — might easily end up in the red bin if no-one had the time and energy to sit emptying copious bags and cans into the green bin.
‘‘It all adds to green house emissions, which causes climate change.’’
She said the organisation was conscious of best before dates, quickly redirecting food before it went off.
However, if it was not redirected on time it was recycled as animal feed to groups that had their own chickens.
As the organisation reused stock which had not sold, they had noted there were ‘‘seasonal fluctuations’’.
She said there had been some moments when they had ‘‘bananas coming out of our ears’’.
In Timaru, the organisation donated to about 13 organisations including kindergartens.
‘‘The demand is still out there.’’
