Evergreen supported the Pakowhai-based volunteer-run weekly Dinner Club by funding its weekly food supplies for the team to cook with. This enabled a weekly get-together of Cyclone affected and displaced locals.
It meant people were able to come together, share their experiences while being fed a delicious four course home-made dinner from a table with a table cloth, cutlery and china plates – some of the simple things we take for granted in our daily lives, and very much missing for others.
The Dinner Club, led by Jane Morgan, has served over 5000 plates of food over a 14 month period, since starting in March 2023. Weekly Friday dinners were cooked and served up by six volunteers each week supporting up to 40 or 50 guests at a time.
These dinner guests were left with very little in terms of a home and possessions post-Cyclone and many were subsequently living in caravans and dealing with insurance issues with no end in sight. This community group was a lifeline by offering a weekly dose of something ‘normal’ in their lives, offering connection and providing an ongoing support network.
The Dinner Club received 2024 Hastings District Council Civic Honors Awards for their contribution to our region in the Cyclone Recovery.
