NoCowboys has recently signed up to sponsor a fantastic Kiwi charity that rescues and distributes food waste to help feed needy families. For September and October NoCowboys will donate $1 for every job posted on our site and 10 cents for every review. We are very pleased to be able to do some small part to help a fabulous charity dedicated to feeding hungry Kiwis.

KiwiHarvest was set up in 2012 by Deborah Manning to combat the wastefulness in our food supply and ensure it went to hungry mouths rather than refuse stations. Since then the charity has achieved absolutely staggering numbers that stand as a testament to the hard work and determination of the charity and its many volunteers.

16,238,220

Kgs of food rescued

36,084,935

Meal equivalents (450g)

$112,368,482

Retail value of food rescued and delivered

“Over 27% of Kiwi children live in households where food runs out sometimes or often. Food is so often the starting point for social agencies working with their clients to break the cycle of need. Having KiwiHarvest deliver rescued food allows these agencies to concentrate on tackling their core issues, and re-focus their funding on programmes to help their clients.

“New Zealand industry generates more than 103,000 tonnes of food waste per year, and it is estimated that 60% of food going to landfill is edible. Burying food (and often its packaging) in landfill is an environmental disaster. Not only does it needlessly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, wasting food also means squandering the resources used to produce and transport that food, including water, land, energy, labour, and capital.

“We work with food businesses, including supermarkets, wholesalers, producers, cafes, restaurants, and hotels, to rescue the good food that they are not able to sell – whether that is because of oversupply, damaged packaging, cancelled orders, mislabelling, or because the food is nearing its best before date or end of life.” (Source: www.kiwiharvest.org.nz).

We only have to think of the food we throw away each week in households where hunger is not an issue to realise the huge importance of turning waste into opportunity for those in need. This is exactly what KiwiHarvest does and has been doing for 13 years.

Turning potential waste into nutrition is not all that KiwiHarvest does. The charity advocates for change to local and central government – to make sure food security and waste issues are heard and considered. It invites opportunities to educate businesses and organisations about food waste and will organise events. Further, KiwiHarvest is an SBN Impact Investor in the Sustainable Business Network and Aotearoa Food Rescue Alliance.

“Our goal is to build awareness and understanding of ways that we can use and cook food to minimise (or totally avoid) waste – as well as build respect for the food we buy, and the time, effort, and resources that go into its production.” (Source: www.kiwiharvest.org.nz).

I think we can all agree that the results KiwiHarvest has achieved since its inception in 2012 are just amazing. Looking at a problem and then creating an entity to combat it and to do so effectively, compassionately, and with so much industry is inherently admirable.To find out more about KiwiHarvest and explore the ways you or your business can help go here.

You can help us help KiwiHarvest by posting your jobs and leaving reviews on NoCowboys.

To post a job. If you’ve already registered with us – go here – if you haven’t, then register here for free! To leave a review – you can search for the tradie or business by name by clicking here. If they are not on our site you can add them and review them by clicking here.