Everybody Eats Wellington is doing its best for the capital's homeless people and is helping to feed many who go without food.
The non-profit restaurant turns unused food into good-quality meals to feed the region's most vulnerable people.
Manager Jack Rainy says, “We're a 'pay as you feel' restaurant it’s all just for kōhā, there are no menu prices and it's open to everybody, with the idea that your community comes together, dines together and shares in the kai.
"It's precious! There's a lot of energy that goes into it both from the farmer and also from the land. And these people work so hard to produce this food. To have it just then sent to landfill. to waste. is kind of crazy and should be criminal in my opinion.”
Wellington City councillor Teri O'Neill says the region has many homeless people. She believes many don't receive enough food each day.
Making sure everyone doesn't go without kai.
'Problem definitely growing'
“We know that if we improve the outcome for Māori and Pasifika experiencing homelessness, we improve outcomes for all.
"We've seen through the Covid-19 years and a bit of an economic downturn that we're seeing more and more people jump onto our emergency and transitional housing list. That's been exacerbated over the years, so the problem is definitely growing.”
The restaurant collects donations from supermarket outlets as well as the public. Volunteers lend a helping hand to prepare the meals. It also has another restaurant in Onehunga, Auckland.
O’Neill says services like Everybody Eats and others such as Soup Kitchen and City Mission are really essential.
"I know first-hand working at a few community lounges as well, people count down the days. If Everybody Eats takes a day off or, if the Newtown kitchen is closed, it definitely creates a visible gap where we need to be focusing more."
While his organisation is doing its best to comfort the homeless, Rainy says it shouldn't be needed in Aotearoa.
“Aotearoa produces enough food to feed 40 million people but statistics say that one in five Kiwisare going hungry every night. There is more than enough food to feed the population of Aotearoa so there's no reason for one in five Kiwis to be going hungry” Rainy said.
