Vinnies demand increases, but fuel costs keep people away

St Vincent de Paul Onehunga general manager Delphina Soti said her team has seen increased phone demand for food parcels since the Iran war broke out at the end of February. But these requests for assistance don’t correspond to people actually picking up the food parcels, Ms Soti said.

“People save whatever they have left to go pick up the kids, as opposed to come and get food over here, you know. A lot of what we experience here is that food is a discretionary item,” she said.

“We have felt it’s like going back to COVID times, where people are trying to figure out how they could come to pick up stuff. They were asking us if there were deliveries.”

St Vincent de Paul Society historically sees their “unable to pick up” food support data for Auckland at 1 to 4 per cent at most. This is often linked to weather or one-off disruptions that equates to around five to 12 families per week.

But from March 2 to April 10, the average weekly “unable to pick up” rate has been 14.4 per cent. In the week of March 23 to 27, the unable to pick up rate was at 26.3 per cent.

Vinnies Tāmaki Makaurau saw 64 families in February unable to pick up from their food hub; in March, this escalated to 87 families.

“This is not about disengagement. It is about access, and in particular, the cost of petrol,” Ms Soti said.

For those who do make it to Vinnies in Onehunga, Ms Soti is also witnessing desperate efforts to transport large food parcels, where trolleys or bikes are involved. Vinnies cannot offer any rides. Vinnies sometimes has to jump-start cars or fill car tanks from petrol cans.

Ms Soti said her organisation has also seen a corresponding dip in appointments for people accessing budgeting services.

Other charities in Auckland report similar increases in demand for food, but fewer people picking up parcels.

Minister for Social Development Louise Upston said people experiencing particular difficulties should talk to the ministry about what support they may be eligible for.

FULL STORY

Fuel crisis sends poorest into ‘doom spiral’ as Auckland charities see dip in food parcel pick-ups (By Tom Dillane/New Zealand Herald)