Cyclone Relief
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Bringing communities together following a natural disaster has numerous benefits, including easing psychological stress.
It is inspiring to see so many people and volunteer groups making a difference in our community. Supporting these initiatives in their work is fundamental to the recovery phase.
Two ‘Hort Day’ events were facilitated by Evergreen to support our growers who were hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle. One event was held in Hastings in October 2023 and the other in Gisborne in December 2023.
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.
Evergreen has been supporting The Hawkes Bay Clean-up team since March 2023. We have supplied the volunteer team with tools, equipment, vehicles, a digger, accommodation and have contributed to the operating expenses to enable Martha and the team to do their work.
Neela and her volunteer team of 30 people working six days a week, cooked and delivered 118,000 meals over an 8 month period from February 2023 – October 2024.
The Evergreen Foundation supported TUMU Timbers to run a Bin Sanitisation programme that included stray and silt filled fruit bins from growers and neighbouring properties, cleaning them to an agreed standard, repairing them where needed, and returning them to the original owner in time for the next harvest.
Evergreen supported the Rapid Relief Team by contributing $173,000 to help them facilitate four Farmer Connect days in Gisborne, Wairoa, Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay.
This volunteer network was set up in March 2023 to support Cyclone affected families and those working in the clean-up, delivering 3,600 loads of washing over a seven month period.
While Dan Carter and Ruby Tui were in town we took the opportunity to host a function to acknowledge our local heroes who went above and beyond in the initial response to the Cyclone – many of whom saved many lives carrying out rescues in our isolated rural areas.