They say it takes a village to raise a child – but what happens when you don’t have that village?
Bellyful exists for exactly that reason. It’s a volunteer-driven charity that cooks and delivers free meals to whānau with babies or young children who need a hand.
“We’re there for anyone who doesn’t have those traditional support networks,” says Bellyful general manager, Wendy Thompson.
“Whether you have a newborn and no whānau nearby, someone is unwell, or you just need a break, as long as you have a pēpi (baby) or young children, our volunteers can deliver enough frozen meals to get you through a few nights.”
Bellyful was founded in Pukekohe in 2009 by Jacqui Ritchie, who had a vision of women coming together to cook and distribute meals to mums who had new babies and lacked support.
“Since then, Bellyful has grown to 25 branches, including six in Auckland, and we have cooked and delivered over 190,000 meals to more than 35,000 whānau,” Thompson says.
Meals are cooked around once a month by a team of volunteers in a ‘Cookathon’, then packaged and frozen, ready to be delivered to whānau who need them.
Recent recipient Linsay Box says Bellyful went above and beyond. “I would definitely encourage others to reach out to Bellyful when in need. I’m not one that generally accepts offers of help but this time I am so glad that I did. This organisation is just wonderful.”
Bellyful supports all whānau with babies or young children, as long as they live in one of its delivery areas. Anyone can make a referral via bellyful.org.nz but must have the permission of the whānau first.
“You can also refer yourself – we believe it is brave to do so,” Thompson says.
Bellyful welcomes new volunteers; you can sign up via its website. It’s currently looking for anyone who would like to help set up and lead new branches in South Auckland, particularly Papakura.
