The Wellington City Mission social supermarket is ready for its second Christmas of providing food support.

The social supermarket, which opened in 2021, is a partnership between Wellington City Mission and Foodstuffs North Island, a 100% New Zealand owned and operated co-operative behind New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square in North Island.

Social supermarkets enable people who are experiencing food insecurity to choose what they need for themselves in a supermarket-style environment – rather than collecting a pre-filled food parcel from the foodbank, that might not meet their specific dietary, cultural or personal needs.

Murray Edridge, City Missioner says having access to a social supermarket will provide a sense of relief for many whānau across the community this Christmas.

“2022 has been an incredibly tough year for so many people, but it has also been a year where we’ve seen Kiwis really come together to support one another. Whilst Christmas is a special time, it can also bring with it the added pressure of buying gifts, juggling bill payments, covering housing costs and being able to put food on the table for the whānau. If someone needs immediate or ongoing assistance with food support, our social supermarket is here to help.”

The social supermarket programme is part of Foodstuffs’ commitment to be ‘Here for NZ’, helping to ensure all New Zealanders have access to healthy, affordable food and supporting local communities to thrive.

To help celebrate Christmas, the team at Wellington City Mission’s social supermarket have been working with their supporters to collect a range of festive food goodies and to provide extra nice premade Christmas meals.

Murray Edridge says: “While this will be a Christmas like no other, that shouldn’t mean whānau and their tamariki should go without a Christmas this year. As we gear up to the holiday season, it’s all hands on deck with our staff and volunteers working to bring cheer and support to people and families right throughout the Wellington region.”

Foodstuffs North Island are wanting to take some of the festive stress off the shoulders of whānau this year to make the big day more enjoyable. In the spirit of Christmas, the Foodstuffs team have partnered with Pams and Farmland to put together 150 hampers full of Christmas goodies for distribution at the Wellington City Mission social supermarket. Each hamper will contain the ingredients and recipe cards to make some delicious and nutritious kiwi classic Christmas dishes such as glazed ham, potato salad, seafood salad and pavlova.

Willa Hand, Head of Membership Experience for Foodstuffs North Island says: “The team at Wellington City Mission are doing a fantastic job of supporting their local community. This year they’ve helped over 3,000 whānau and currently cater for around 120 families each week. There can be a lot of expectation that comes with Christmas which makes it a magical time but also a challenging time for many people. As a 100-year-old co-operative, we want to be Here for NZ which is why we’re stepping up to make a difference through our support of social supermarkets like the one run by Wellington City Mission.”

Wellington City Mission’s social supermarket was Foodstuffs North Island’s first social supermarket partnership. The 100% New Zealand owned and operated co-operative has recently announced plans to roll out its social supermarket initiative to more communities in the year ahead.

Wellington City Mission relies on community support and welcomes donations in the form of funds and food.

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