More and more people in our communities are struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. It could be your colleague at work, a family on your street or your child’s best friend at school. Hunger is closer to home than you might think.  

Too many families are finding themselves in the precarious position of not having enough money for food. People unable to work because of chronic health conditions; because they are full-time carers; or because they can’t find work in the current economic climate. People whose wages don’t cover the essentials anymore. 

And the government assistance available for people experiencing financial hardship is often not enough to meet today’s cost of living, leaving them with no choice but to turn to foodbanks like the Mission. 

Despite our ongoing advocacy, government funding for our food services falls far short of what we need to support the growing number of people experiencing food insecurity in Auckland.  

At the Mission, we have had to reduce the number of people we support, and we are more reliant than ever on your generosity to respond to the need in our community.  

Read how food support from the Mission is helping Edward break the cycle of poverty for his children.

Supporting Whānau with Food at the Mission 

With your help, we respond to the immediate need for food through our foodbank and our community dining room, Haeata. In addition, we are working on initiatives to give people more choice and control over how they access food.  

The Mission is a member of the Kore Hiakai Zero Hunger Collective.  Alongside our partners, we continue to engage with the government and advocate for both long-term funding for community food providers and a cross-sector strategy to address the root causes of food insecurity in Aotearoa. 

Check out Kore Hiakai’s Ka Mākona: Income Adequacy in Aotearoa report for a snapshot of income and expenses of low-income households across the country, and the impact on access to food.