Fresh veges delivered to Flaxmere

Family packs of fresh fruit and vegetables are being packed by keen Flaxmere College students every Thursday, on the same day they arrive in bulk in Flaxmere.

The boxes, in three sizes: $20, $30 and $40, are pre-ordered by Flaxmere whānau and are ready for pick-up between 4pm and 6pm on Thursdays from the Flaxmere Community Centre.

The new weekly service started in May, with 31 families pre-ordering their vege box for the first delivery.

That number was expected to climb once word got around about the quality and reliability of the service. The produce is mainly in-season, with the first week’s boxes boasting apples, bananas, kiwifruit, tomatoes, carrots, onions, cauliflower and lettuce.

The initiative is part of the nationwide network Foodtogether, and brought to Flaxmere by Sustainable Hawke’s Bay. It is one of a number of solutions considered by community group Manaaki Mai o Pāharakeke, in response to Flaxmere’s supermarket closing in February.

Sustainable Hawke’s Bay’s Gareth Boyt, coordinating the project, said the quality of the fruit and vegetables was impressive.

“Food Together supplies in-season produce at about 15 per cent less than you pay at a regular supermarket, so as well as being able to pick them up locally you get more for your money.” Foodtogether is a social enterprise organisation that started in Christchurch, after a vicar saw a need to improve accessibility and affordability of healthy fresh produce. It has co-ops and pop-ups, like the new one in Flaxmere, in towns and cities across Aotearoa. The kaupapa of the organisation is to make fresh food more affordable and accessible for all. To order a box see: Foodtogether.co.nz.