Christchurch City Mission pilots ASFPM
Since the worldwide COVID pandemic began during 2020, continuing its impact throughout 2021, it was evident from the beginning Aotearoa did not have a consistent way of counting the rising number of Food Parcels being distributed (or a standardised practice within the sector to quantify nutritional adequacy).
While we have seen a steadily growing indiscriminate population experience food poverty as a pandemic consequence, which has exasperated the need for longer-term sustainable solutions to address the underlining root causes, up until recently there has been no consistent way to measure the volume of food required to temporarily address the mounting level of food insecurity we have witnessed.
As many Foodbanks and community food distributors around Aotearoa operate on already inflated baselines (with need not abating), manoeuvring under incredible constraints as COVID variant guidelines and government directives evolve, so many have compassionately persisted on – like the Christchurch City Mission who more recently adapted operations to become a pilot organisation using the Aotearoa Standard Food Parcel Measure (ASFPM) launched earlier this year.
Zucchi Leonard
Social Services Manager | Christchurch City Mission
“The development of the Aotearoa Standard Food Parcel Measure by Kore Hiakai has provided a national tool to measure Food Parcels and also to be able to address the value of nutritional contents. Our Foodbank is our biggest touch point into the community, feeding close to 40,000 people last year,” said Zucchi Leonard, Social Services Manager.
Focusing efforts on standardising their Food Parcels against the ASFPM, Christchurch City Mission have concentrated on the nutritional adequacy of contents and the Standard Food Parcel recommended guidelines. A ‘Standard Food Parcel’ should provide for four people, three meals a day, for four days, at 80% of our nutritional standards.
“The City Mission has been distributing Food Parcels to the Christchurch community for the last 90 years and although this is a service that we would like to see diminish, the current economic climate has unfortunately seen this demand grow especially over the last 10 years.”
While the South Island has largely been sheltered from infection rate dips and swells, directives from our national leaders have shifted all our concerns for those living in a state of worry, and the Christchurch City Mission says relationships have played a key part in how they service and support their community.
“We have collaborated with other agencies and organisations for many years and have provided Food Parcels to these agencies and their clients. The COVID lockdown of 2020 resulted in a whole new level of collaboration.”
Working closely with the Civil Defence in Christchurch, and intently on the ability to share food with other Foodbanks, Christchurch City Mission have become part of the Christchurch Foodbank Network which meets with other interested stakeholders to discuss trends, the supply of food, and the food systems.
“We are also part of a smaller sub-group that focuses on food distribution in Christchurch in a crisis – whether that be an earthquake, flooding or a pandemic.”
The pivotal role of local and national food rescue agencies succours being able to regularly include fresh produce in Food Parcels. Being a New Zealand Food Network hub allows Christchurch City Mission access to rescued food and to share bulk orders. “We have developed strong relationships with other Foodbanks and a What’s App site [started by Kairos Freestore] enables us to share food and bulk supplies when needed”
We appreciate the Christchurch City Mission for their years of service, for collaborating with others to help address the nutritional adequacy of their Food Parcels, and for using the ASFPM to help us better understand the level of food insecurity in our communities by measure of food volume support.
Thank you for helping to make a difference.