A Bellyful of love - and laundry powder

The East Auckland branch of Bellyful got a big surprise when we delivered 150 boxes of laundry powder to their monthly cookathon.  The charity was nominated to win 5,000 washes by supporter and Earthwise fan, Yvonne Hayes, as part of our Facebook celebration to mark reaching 10,000 likes on the page.

Auckland branch co-ordinator Maree Adam says the gift will be split three ways:  50 boxes as a gift for families, 50 boxes as giveaways on Bellyful’s Facebook page to publicise their work and the final 50 boxes to be used as fundraising raffle items.

“It’s great to get this kind of support from business in the community,” said Maree.  “We are all parents who know what it’s like to feel isolated and barely coping with a new baby.  Sometimes a few frozen meals, a friendly face and a listening ear can make all the difference.  We are thrilled that Yvonne and Earthwise have given us this helping hand.”

With a young family of her own, Maree immediately resonated with Bellyful’s work when she first heard about it at a fundraiser.

“When I had my first child I was very well supported,” said Maree.  “But by the time Lucy came along, our situation had changed and I felt much more alone.”  She was ‘blown away’ when friends, who were not much more than acquaintances at the time, turned up on her doorstep with meals for the freezer. 

So, in July 2013 Maree and a handful of other dedicated volunteers went about setting up the Eastern region branch.  Now Bellyful Eastern is the biggest of Bellyful NZ’s 17 branches with a team of 37 volunteers providing between 80 and 120 meals a month to new mums and families coping with serious illness. 

Once a month volunteers make batches of three simple, healthy meals to put in the freezer, ready for volunteers to distribute to families in the community.  If someone you know needs support, go to www.bellyful.org.nz to connect them with the charity.