1501 days ago

South Auckland man delivers 33,000 food parcels to Covid-19-impacted families

Ripu Bhatia Reporter from Community News

A Mangere resident has delivered thousands of food parcels to aid struggling families in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Darryl Vincent Evans, 56, is the chief executive of the Mangere Budgeting Services Trust in south Auckland, which has an in-house food bank.

Evans provided 23,000 food parcels to families and vulnerable pensioners during the first lockdown.

Across the whole of 2020 his organisation has delivered 33,000 food parcels across south Auckland.

Evans said the level of need “grew exponentially” throughout lockdown.

“We went from an organisation delivering 200 to 300 parcels a week, to providing 2850 in our busiest week,” he said.

Evans is a finalist in the Westfield Local Heroes competition, an annual event that awards $10,000 grants to community heroes.

Evans said he is “overwhelmed” to be nominated.

“The purpose of our organisation is to ensure every family have food on the table, and every family has access to essential wrap around services,” he said.

Winners are decided by a popular vote, and Evans said he would put the money towards a second food bank van.

The voting period for Westfield Local Heroes opened on Tuesday 25 August and closes on Monday 14 September.

To view finalists and cast your vote visit www.westfield.com.au...

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More messages from your neighbours
20 hours ago

Six tips for improving security around your home

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

1) Improve outdoor lighting
Ensure that streets, driveways, and front yards are well-lit. Motion-sensor lights around homes deter trespassers by reducing hiding spots and illuminating their movements.

2) Trim your trees
Overgrown shrubs and trees provide cover for intruders. Keeping them well-trimmed around windows and doors improves visibility and reduces potential hiding spots.

3) Secure Entry Points
Ensure doors, windows, and gates are always closed when you are away from the house. Upgrade to more secure locks, deadbolts, or even smart locks for added protection.

4) Add a security camera
Place security cameras in the main entry points to your home. Doorbell cameras are also relatively cheap and a great way to keep track of who is visiting your home when you aren't there.

5) Start a Neighborhood Watch Program
You could reach out to members on Neighbourly to form a group of neighbors who can regularly keep an eye out for suspicious activity and report it. You could also check with Neighbourhood Support to see what is existing in your area.

6) Introduce yourself to your neighbours
The closer you are to your neighbors, the more likely they’ll notice when something unusual or suspicious is happening around your property

Feel free to share anything that you do around your area to deter crime.

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3 days ago

Poll: Is dumping an issue in your neighbourhood?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's nothing worse than strolling around the streets in your neighbourhood and seeing dumped rubbish.

Have you noticed this in your area? What could we do to combat this around the country?

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Is dumping an issue in your neighbourhood?
  • 43% Yes, I've seen some illegal dumping
    43% Complete
  • 56.5% No, our neighbourhood is pretty good
    56.5% Complete
  • 0.6% Other - I'll share below
    0.6% Complete
1192 votes
20 hours ago

Today’s riddle: For all the curious minds next door!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

My thunder comes before the lightning.
My lightning comes before the clouds.
My rain dries all the land it touches.
What am I?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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