Kiwi farmers want no one in New Zealand to go hungry. They’re banding together to change the way we respond to food poverty.
A new nationwide partnership has been launched between Feed Out and Fonterra which aims to have 1 million litres of milk donated to food banks by dairy farmers within its first year.
The partnership builds on an existing milk donation programme between Feed Out and milk processor Miraka, which provides food banks with milk in Waikato and the Central Plateau.
Through Fonterra, dairy farmers across the country can now donate what they produce, to help meet the demand for milk in food banks nationwide.
“If every farm contributes just a little bit of what they produce, we can make a massive difference to New Zealanders doing it tough,” says Wayne Langford, co-founder of Meat the Need and Feed Out.
Feed Out’s milk donation programme extends the work of its sister programme, Meat the Need. As a farmer-founded charity, Meat the Need turns livestock donations into mince for food banks, with the support of Silver Fern Farms. So far, 793,000+ mince meals have been donated nationwide.
‘Feed Out is the same concept, except this time it’s about giving all New Zealanders access to milk; something that’s never been done before due to the challenges of processing. This allows farmers to play their part in helping to address the high levels of food insecurity in New Zealand,’’ Langford explains.
In the next year, Feed Out aims to deliver over 200,000 kilos of Anchor blue milk powder to food banks nationwide, with the help of the NZ Food Network. Combined with meat already donated by farmers, they are starting to change the landscape of food parcels, ensuring all Kiwis have access to high quality protein.
With support from farmers around the country, Feed Out believes they can feed all of New Zealand. ‘Farmers supporting Feed Out will make a massive difference to these families doing it tough, by simply doing what we do – growing food, says Langford.
Meat the Need and Feed Out is supported by processors Silver Fern Farms, Fonterra and Miraka. It was established with the help of MPI (Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures), Dairy NZ, Beef and Lamb and Federated Farmers.
To learn more, visit feedout.org. Whether you’re a farmer or not, everyone can donate.