Stories Foodbank Aotearoa Foodbank Aotearoa       Last week we had the CEO of Foodbank Aotearoa speak to us about the work he and his team do to alleviate the plight of those in our community who struggle to afford to put a supply of nutritious meals on their table on a regular basis. John Milligan and his wife Janice set up Foodbank Aotearoa six years ago. John has worked on four continents around the world and trained numerous executives. His motto is:  “Wise men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit”. Over one third of the food grown around the world is wasted. 8o million people in the world go without food on any given day. New Zealanders throw away 122,547 tonnes of food including 20 million loaves of bread and nine and a half tons of potatoes a year!   The average New Zealand household throws away the equivalent of three large supermarket trolleys of food a year. And yet across New Zealand, 270,000 kids go to school every morning without breakfast or go to bed each night without any dinner.   Foodbank Aotearoa was set up to collect surplus food from whatever source and to re-distribute it to local hubs who service those families that need it. Across New Zealand, 270,000 kids (or one in every four children) go to school every morning without breakfast or go to bed each night without dinner. It tackles the logistical problem of getting the food to people at the right time. Foodbank Aotearoa puts surplus food to good use in a sustainable way. We get surplus food safely to the hungry.   While hundreds of Cantabrians go hungry each day, safe, healthy and usable food is being disposed of as waste. We collect this nutritious surplus food from all segments of the food industry including restaurants, grocers, supermarkets, wholesalers, hotels and caterers.   We are most grateful for the support of over 240 volunteers such as you that make this all possible.   Post the Covid outbreak we are processing 95 tons of food a month. We work with 170 Charitable organisations in Christchurch and a further 26 in Timaru.   All food is turned over in 36 hours. We are supplying over 9,000 meals a day and still need to do more.  We are New Zealand’s sole representative in the Global Foodbanking Network.  A key approach of the team is:   “Fight Hunger Feed Hope”.   We thanked John & Janice for their efforts and look forward being able to support them going forward.     Snippets     Container Packing Appreciation   Thanks to  Anne, Arie,  Deryn,  Gordon,  Heather, Keith, Lesley,  Liz,  Neville, Nick and Stuart for packing the Container bound for Samoa along with Cashmere Rotary members.   During a coffee break on Monday,  Stuart and Gordon (Cashmere) presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Kim Steetskamp for generously providing a place to park our containers.          Car Rally to Wilson’s Mill   Eighteen Rotarians, family and friends enjoyed a fantastic day taking part in a Car Rally, car collection and garden visit at Wilson’s Mill, Ohoka.   The day started with a coffee at The Flax Eatery in Prestons and from there we followed a route set by Rob Nicholl and answered a series of questions before arriving at Wilson’s in time to tour their amazing car collection.   After this we assembled for a picnic lunch in the magnificent garden and grounds of this outstanding property. There was ample time to wander at leisure, soak up the sun and listen to our generous host Kelvin tell us about both his unique car collection and how he and his wife have developed the property since purchasing it around 2012.     Our sincere thanks to Rob Nicholl for organising such a wonderful, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable day.     Pink Ribbon Reminder   Calling all lady Papanui Rotary Club members and friends.   Come and join the merry crew for our Annual Pink Ribbon fundraising breakfast starting at 9:30 am at 20 Mistral Road, Northwood.   Our three wonderful chefs will do us proud with an amazing spread being delivered as always.   Please let Lois know via loisflanagan@gmail.com that you will be attending.       Paul Harris Fellow Nominations Reminder   We are still seeking further nominations for up to seven high achieving Papanui Club members or people we know in the community with links to Rotary to be awarded Paul Harris Fellows.  This is a great opportunity for us to show our recognition of those we feel have served us well in our community and deserve this honour.   Please send any nominations by 10 May to Cheryl  Colley at ccolley@actrix.co.nz.     Food for Thought   Volunteering your time to support a cause you are passionate about is something you will never regret. It will enrich your life, familiarize you with your community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact your perspective for the rest of your life. Helping your community is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, to better understand how you fit into the world around you.

Upcoming Events you are welcome to attend   Club meeting at the Papanui Club -Alistair Crozier The Papanui May 06, 2021 5:55 PM – 7:30 PM   Papanui Bush Working Bee Papanui Bush May 11, 2021 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM   Meeting at Papanui Club to be advised May 13, 2021   Board Meeting to be advised May 18, 2021   Club meeting at the Papanui Club The Papanui May 20, 2021 5:55 PM – 7:30 PM   View entire list Meeting Responsibilities Duty Roster 6th May 2021   Reception Digby, Neville   Speakers Host Gimblett, Deb   Vote of Thanks Van Beek, Verdi   Visitors Host Shields, Gordon   Sergeant Geerlofs, Arie   Meeting Setup McMurtrie, Denis   Banner Setup & Room Tidyup Sedgley, Ron   Duty Roster 13th May 2021   Reception Tizzard, Tony   Speakers Host Geerlofs, Arie   Vote of Thanks Nicholl, Rob   Visitors Host Anderson, Kathy   Sergeant Thomson, Rob   Meeting Setup McMurtrie, Denis   Banner Setup & Room Tidyup Sedgley, Ron   Duty Roster 20th May 2021   Reception Bond, Mark   Speakers Host Forsyth, Simon   Vote of Thanks Mitchell, Keith   Visitors Host   Sergeant Geerlofs, Arie   Meeting Setup McMurtrie, Denis   Banner Setup & Room Tidyup Sedgley, Ron