View Hill school gets a veggie boost with $3,000 donation

North Canterbury school, View Hill, has been given a big boost to their Pātaka Kai or school pantry programme thanks to the Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust.

The $3,000 grant will provide View Hill School with the resources they need to build their school pantry initiative. This includes funding for gardening materials and the creation of an outdoor pantry for easy access to fresh produce.

The school pantry will serve both the school, and the wider community maintained by regular in-school gardening by the students as well as a ‘Garden to Table’ programme, with View Hill School parent and fundraising representative, Angelina saying it will provide a helping hand to families in the community who may need it.

“The grant allows us to buy a tunnel house giving us additional space for our students to grow more vegetables as well as the ability to grow year-round,” she says.

“The programme is run by one of our fantastic teachers and gives the students an opportunity to spend time outside and learn about things like cooking and sustainability through hands on experiences.”

Playing a key role in securing this grant for View Hill School was PAK’nSAVE Rangiora, a locally owned and operated store under the Foodstuffs South Island co-operative.

James Flanagan, owner-operator of PAK’nSAVE Rangiora says the Community Trust is something close to his heart.

“Catherine and I have been donating to the Community Trust since we purchased our first supermarket 12 years ago.

“It’s just the right thing to do in terms of engaging with the wider co-op and getting support to those in the community that need it,” James said. 

Angelina says that they are very appreciative to James and the Community Trust for the grant.

"Being a small, rural school, these grants make a huge difference. Without them, we wouldn't be able to offer cool programmes, like the school pantry to our students," Angelina says.

The Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust was created to support the South Island and creating successful communities. It prioritises projects and organisations that are aligned with its social promises of enabling people access to healthy food, supporting the South Island community to thrive as well as contributing to individuals achieving meaningful work.

For more information on the Trust and how to apply, visit here: Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust.