'Social supermarket' for Hamilton follows surge in food insecurity

Hamilton's first "social supermarket" is set to open in August amid a surge in working families struggling for the first time to put food on the table.

It follows an in-depth report showing the Waikato has the highest proportion of people in the country suffering from food insecurity - an alarming 40 percent.

In an attempt to address that need, and the shame some whānau feel when asking for a food parcel, social services provider Kirikiriroa Family Services Trust is planning the region's first "social supermarket".

Unlike a traditional food bank, a social supermarket is set up much like a regular supermarket. Customers are allocated a certain number of points, according to their circumstances, and can use those to select the items they need from the shelves.

Trust chief executive Jaye Wainui said his staff dealt daily with parents who were making impossible choices between paying rent, keeping the lights on and putting food on the table.

More than two-thirds of those seeking food support were working families who had never needed help before.

"So this is a cost-of-living crisis landing in real time in people's kitchens. And the groups hit hardest are exactly the whānau we work with every day."

Wainui said nutritional quality was the first thing people cut back on.

"Families are already switching to cheaper food, cutting fresh produce, cutting protein before they stop eating altogether, it seems."

However, many of those newly food-insecure households - 49 percent, according to the Hunger Monitor report - did not seek help because of shame and embarrassment.

The difference with the social supermarket model was that it allowed families to ask for assistance while retaining their dignity.

"Whānau come in and make choices. They're not handed a box of what someone else decided they needed. The food bank model has done a lot of good but it wasn't designed for what we're seeing now. This is pushing against the shame that our whānau feel. It's okay to need help and ask for it."

With a little over two months to go to the store's 18 August opening, Wainui said the trust was seeking help to make sure the shelves were well stocked.

"So this is an opportunity for our whole community, from residents to business owners and private donors, to come together and make a real difference for local families doing it tough."

Help could be offered in many ways, including donations of food and household essentials, surplus and end-of-line stock from retailers and suppliers, money to help buy stock and cover operating costs, and long-term partnerships.

Wainui said the supermarket would work on referrals. The first customers would be people already using the trust's services but that would be broadened to clients of other community service providers.

He said the trust could manage about 80 referrals a week, or 4000 families a year.

Families making use of the social supermarket would also be offered services such as budgeting advice, parenting programmes and employment assistance to help address the underlying causes of hardship.

The Hunger Monitor is a study by the New Zealand Food Network. It was released in March. It found 40 percent of Waikato families were "food insecure", the highest rate in the country and well above the national average of 33 percent. Even Northland, which often tops the nation's poverty rankings, was lower with 35 percent.

The data was based on a survey of 3000 people.

The report defined food insecurity as reports of reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet (moderate), and reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake (severe).

• Anyone interested in supporting Hamilton's first social supermarket can contact Aroha Te Kanawa on arohatk@kfst.org.nz.

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