KiwiHarvest’s 'Souperheroes' campaign has provided over a tonne of soup, stews, and curries to charities in Queenstown Lakes - including three in Wānaka - since launching in May. 

The food charity collects surplus food and delivers it to those in need, and ‘Souperheros’ started as a small side initiative, KiwiHarvest Queenstown Lakes branch manager Gary Hough says.

“What began as a simple idea - aligned with KiwiHarvest’s mission to reduce food waste and support those in need - has grown into something that fills me with pride and hope.”

Gary said KiwiHarvest started by collaborating with students from Queenstown's Liger Leadership Academy, working together to find a new way to feed people facing tough times.

It soon expanded into a district-wide mission, with primary schools collecting surplus containers (like ice cream tubs and yoghurt pots) and teaming up with chefs at hotels and restaurants to turn excess food into a stockpile of frozen soups, stews, and curries.

“The ‘Souperheroes’ campaign has exceeded expectations with over one tonne of food contributed,” Gary said.

‘Souperheroes now delivers these meals to 13 charities, including Food for Love, Community Link’s food bank and Kahu Youth Trust.

“Over 550 kilograms of nutritious, heartwarming soups and stews have been prepared, with local chefs transforming excess produce from KiwiHarvest and local kitchens into comforting winter meals.

“In addition, we’ve received over 450 kilos of canned soups and stews that have generously been donated by our community…”

Wānaka Primary School has been involved this year, during the ‘pilot’, but “next year we hope to include all Wānaka primary schools and some Wānaka hospitality businesses”, Gary said.

On the back of the success of ‘Souperheroes’, Kiwiharvest has launched its major fundraiser of the year, ‘Cruise for a Cause’: an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound with RealNZ.

“We have come along with local grant support etc in the last couple of years but [we are] still operationally in a deficit of around $20K for the next two years,” Gary told the Wānaka App.

“This event we hope will help to bridge that gap for next year and make our operation more secure and sustainable, which has a massive ripple effect for the community.”

Find out more about the Doubtful Sound cruise here and more about KiwiHarvest here.

PHOTO: Wānaka App