Pāpāmoa residents are being called on to urgently help with getting a vital community service established.

The meeting, planned for 6.30pm on Monday October 30, at Golden Sands Baptist Church in Pāpāmoa, is for anyone to come along and hear what is planned and how to help.

Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Bruce Banks is leading the way to create the new entity to replace Papamoa Family Services, which closed its doors on September 19.

Bruce hopes a proposed ‘Pāpāmoa Food Hub’ will be able to be established in time to receive the donations from this year’s Emergency Services Food Drive scheduled for Tuesday December 5.

Pāpāmoa Volunteers gearing up for the Emergency Services Food Drive in 2022.  Photo: SunLive.

“The new Pāpāmoa Food Hub is proposing to supply food parcels and care packages to those in need as well as providing cooking classes to help our recipients make the best of the food provided,” says Bruce.

“We need the help of our community to establish and operate this crucial service. That’s where you could help.”

Why did Pāpāmoa Family Services close?

Pāpāmoa Family Services has been an important community hub that has been providing a wide range of social services for Pāpāmoa residents for 30 years. Anglican Care Waiapu has been running the service out of the Hartford Ave site since 2010 when it took over the Pāpāmoa East Community Support Centre in Domain Rd in 2002.

ACW is the social services organisation of the Anglican Diocese of Waiapu, delivering a range of social services throughout Bay of Plenty, Eastland, and Hawke’s Bay.

Pāpāmoa Family Services has supported the Pāpāmoa community since 1993, but has now been closed by Anglican Care Waiapu. Photo: Supplied.

ACW CEO Lucy Laitinen says the decision to close Pāpāmoa Family Services was a “really tough” one to make and “is indeed significant news for the community”.

“We recently reviewed Pāpāmoa Family Services, including its service delivery model, funding contracts, the client group, resourcing needs, income streams, and other services available for the clients in the region,” says Lucy.

“Although we have for some time now deliberately run the service at a significant operating deficit to ensure its continuation, we’ve now made the decision to close the service and concentrate on other services and programmes in the region.”

Lucy says this is no reflection on the quality of services that have been provided by Pāpāmoa staff and volunteers to date but more a recognition of the limited reach and scale of the service as it currently stands.

“In fact our staff and volunteers have delivered above and beyond through their commitment to and passion for the community.”

What is happening to the Hartford Avenue site?

Tauranga City Council’s Community Services General Manager Barbara Dempsey says the Waiapu Anglican Social Services Trust Board have indicated they will continue to lease the premise at Hartford Avenue.

“Our current tenancy agreement with them runs until 30 June 2030,” says Barbara.

“As this land is considered under our Reserves Management Plan, we would work with the Board on any future lease at that time. It is noted, that any lease needs to account for the requirements of the Reserves Act, including understanding community needs.

New Pāpāmoa Food Hub entity

Bruce says the new entity, which is unable to operate at the Hartford Ave location needs to be established in time for the Emergency Services Food Drive on December 5.

Some of the volunteers with the Emergency Services Food Collection in 2022. Photo: Supplied.

Last year, more than 250 people hit the streets of Pāpāmoa, with emergency services teaming up with volunteers, including Neighbourhood Support and Fire Emergency NZ services, to collect non-perishable food, toiletries, pet food, cleaning stuff, nappies and hygiene items.

All the food and collection previously went to Pāpāmoa Family Services which acted as the agent to distribute to the needy. With Pāpāmoa Family Services gone, a new entity needs to be created to fill the gap in the community.

An urgent public meeting is planned to get like-minded residents together and identify what skills and resources are available to get a new vital service under way.

Come along and hear what is planned and how you could help, at 6.30pm on Monday October 30, at Golden Sands Baptist Church, Cnr Te Okuroa Drive & Stevenson Drive, Pāpāmoa.

Please RSVP your attendance to: nspapamoa@wbopns.org.nz