Bells Produce in Northland has just dispatched its first load of free lunches to school kids in the rohe.
The 25-year-old business was acquired by Te Rarawa in 2019, and retail Retail Manager Dion Harrison, says the idea to provide free lunches to tamariki was somewhat of a no brainer.
“It aligns with what we do," says Harrison.
“It’s helped us to provide 10 new jobs, so it’s just something that makes commercial and social sense.”
The 1,500 lunch packs are made by local Bells Produce under the government's "Ka ora ka ako" initiative and distributed to kids in need.
They currently make lunches for Kaitaia College, Kaitaia Primary, TKKM o Pukemiro, and Pukepoto school.
“A couple of the schools that we’ve had feedback from, have said that they’re getting very little wastage which I think really highlights the need for something like this.”