Charity Meet the Need Connects Farmers to Families Facing Food Insecurity

A farmer-founded charity is helping more whānau across the Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga put nutritious kai on the table. Meet the Need, which launched in 2020, links rural donors — including farmers giving livestock, milk, or cash — with food banks and community organisations that distribute protein-rich food to those who need it most. In the past year alone, the organisation supplied more than 50,000 mince meals and milk portions across the region.

Nationally, Meet the Need has delivered more than 4.2 million mince meals and milk to families through a network of over 145 food banks and community groups. Marketing and communications lead Rachael Sutton said access to quality protein was fundamental to health and wellbeing, particularly for children and growing families. She noted that mince remained one of the most in-demand yet hardest items to source, valued for its versatility and ability to stretch across multiple meals.

TECT Community Trust supports Meet the Need's work locally, helping ensure donations can be processed and delivered where they are needed most. TECT trustee Rachael Gemming said enabling collaboration was key to making regional food security initiatives possible, bringing together farmers, funders, food banks, and community organisations.

Sutton said the impact of each meal extended well beyond food itself. When nutritious food was more accessible, whānau were better placed to stay connected to work, school, and community life — with fewer difficult trade-offs between food and other essentials. "It's not just about food, it's about connection, dignity, and showing up for one another," she said. More information is available at meettheneed.org.nz.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).