Kai Rescue received a large donation of venison which will help many in the area.
The almost 40kg donation was provided by the Nelson branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association.
“It’s huge for us,” Kai Rescue coordinator Karen Brewer says. “Meat’s not something we get a lot of… so when we get something like this in, it’s really appreciated.”
The venison, the second such donation given by the Nelson branch, was distributed to about 30 different recipient groups.
“Our members are showing quite an interest in what we’re doing,” says David Haynes, a committee member of the Deerstalker’s Nelson branch. “We’re going to try and see if we can make this a regular thing.
“We can feed people who would otherwise go hungry.”
Because the Nelson Deerstalkers are “a small organisation,” David says that they were seeking a grant to help fund the processing of future venison donations. So far, the costs have been covered by their own members.
David says they have been in talks with Nelson City Council about potentially hunting a few deer on public land before their annual culling to prevent the wastage of good meat.
Jackie Galland of Giving Aroha in Anzac Park was one of Kai Rescue’s recipients and left with some of the venison.
“We provide a meal in Anzac Park for… people struggling, we usually get between 40 and 60 people.”
Every Sunday they put on a picnic in the park for them, Jackie says. So, the impact of this donation is already being felt for locals in need.
Kai Rescue, run by the Nelson Environment Centre, aims to reduce food waste in the community.
The volunteer-run group is partnered with over 60 food recipient organisations in the region who then distribute food among those who need it most.
By Max Frethey
