[{"id":2600,"order":0,"imagePath":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/dd4a4ad0-bd07-46cd-8330-ece4c3786874.png","type":"image","content":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/dd4a4ad0-bd07-46cd-8330-ece4c3786874.png"},{"id":2601,"order":1,"contentText":"Te Atatu016b Baptist Churchu2019s new pu0101taka kai (free open street pantry) is a hit with the local community. The sign on the pantry says it all: u2018Take what you need. Leave what you canu2019. And plenty of both are happening. Locals stock the shelves with tinned and packaged goods, or fresh vegetables from their own gardens; those needing food help themselves.
u201cThe Bible tells us we should feed the hungry. This is a really simple way of doing that,u201d says the churchu2019s new pastor, Debbie Spackman. u201cIt governs itself; the food just comes in and goes out. We havenu2019t had any issues of produce sitting out and going bad. You can go down there four times in a day and it will have completely different items in it each time.
u201cI think sometimes it can be hard for people to go to food banks and ask for a parcel when they might just need a loaf of bread to get them to the end of the day when they get paid or something like that. Even if one family gets helped by some food in a week, then itu2019s worth it.u201d
The pu0101taka kai is one of several plans that were on hiatus while the church journeyed alongside Debbie and her family as her husband, Roger, faced terminal illness. Sadly, he died in August 2018.
u201cWeu2019re not a very big church,u201d says Debbie. u201cWith Roger being unwell, everybody had to, as we termed it, u2018pick up suitcasesu2019 to help each other through the airport, as it were. By the end of last year particularly, we were all weary.u201d
Now, while they still mourn Rogeru2019s passing, they are picking up their plans once again. These range from the large-scaleu2014developing the church property to include space for social housingu2014to more of the simple, like installing a u-shaped seat at the front of their site as a place for passers-by to sit and talk.
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