The Serve Trust dishes up hot meals in Hamilton every night, 365 days a year. No forms, no questions, just kai for anyone who needs it.
Founded in 2014 as the Hamilton Homeless Trust, serving meals from a city car park, the volunteer-driven charity has grown into a vital community lifeline, now delivering more than 18,000 meals a year with the help of over 100 volunteers.
For many, it’s the only reliable place to eat. One man, who asked not to be named, says, “This is where I can get my food from because the supermarkets they raise the prices in the supermarket, but they don’t raise our benefit. You know, we’re still struggling.”
Originally set up to help rough sleepers, The Serve Trust now sees growing numbers of whānau with housing but not enough to eat due to cost-of-living pressures.
Their mission is grounded in values of compassion, non-judgment, and community support, ensuring that everyone who comes through their doors is treated with dignity and respect.
Chairman of trust, Natasha Willison-Reardon, says, ‘People are struggling.’
“We’ve had a family that has had their power off for three months because they couldn’t afford it. Two incomes, both of them are working two jobs, and for them to come here, they were real whakamaa about coming here cause they needed the kai, but they needed the roof over their heads.”
In addition to providing meals, the trust is also committed to reducing food waste and promoting sustainability through partnerships with local organisations. non-judgment
Reducing food waste and promoting sustainability
According to The Serve Trust’s 2019 impact report, they repurposed around 28 tonnes of rescued food through bulk deliveries, along with over 2 tonnes of bread from weekly “breadbox” collections.
“One of the things they teach us here is not to judge, and it’s not just homeless, it’s whaanau too. Whaanau with kids and like that, the most. I like it when the kids come get a feed,” says Paora Ahomiro.
In total, more than 30 tonnes of fresh, edible food were turned into meals, food that would have otherwise gone to waste.
In addition to providing meals, the trust is also committed to reducing food waste and promoting sustainability through partnerships with local organisations.
One of their key collaborators is Kaivolution, a food rescue initiative run by Go Eco, which collects surplus produce and redirects it from landfill to community groups across Kirikiriroa and the wider Waikato region.
“We often get told - you might be feeding people that don’t need to be fed. One of our values is non-judgment, and that is really in every aspect. No matter whether they come up in a flash or not. We don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives,” says Willison-Reardon.
