Kiwi Community Assistance
Helping people in need
Kiwi Community Assistance
Helping people in need
Hutt Mana Charitable Trust has facilitated an exciting move for Kiwi Community Assistance, who are now at larger premises in Grenada North.
Phil Davies, Chairman of Kiwi Community Assistance says funding from organisations like the Hutt Mana Charitable Trust makes a huge difference.
“We really thank the Trust for their support. With their help, it means less time we have to spend chasing funds and more time we can spend getting things out to people.”
Kiwi Community Assistance has received $2,422 of funding which enabled the move to their new facility in August 2020. The new warehouse is more than double the size of their last premises which means all operations are now under one roof.
How they began
Kiwi Community Assistance was formed by Phil Davies and Tracy Wellington in 2011. They started with donations from family and friends and it wasn’t long before they had filled their double garage.
Nine years later, they have one paid staff member, over 96 volunteers, 74 partner agencies and they provide support to over 60,000 people across Wellington.
Foodbanks, charities, and schools make their requests each week. Meanwhile, volunteers from Kiwi Community Assistance are collecting surplus food and donated goods. Food is often redistributed on the day it is collected, and teams of volunteers sort the donated goods at the warehouse.
Going from strength to strength
“On average, about 1.3 tonnes of food comes in every day”, says Tracy, CEO of Kiwi Community Assistance. “In 2019, we distributed over 200 tonnes of food and 3,175 banana boxes of goods. This year we have exceeded this amount in just over six months.”
The warehouse shelves are filled with banana boxes, packed with children’s clothing, shoes, bedding, and other household items.
“It’s now so much better organised, everything is more accessible and it’s so much safer”, says Phil. “We’ve brought the food team and the warehouse team together; we can now offer volunteers better shifts and keep the facility open longer.”
Phil encourages other organisations who are struggling, to ask charitable trusts for help.
