WELCOME TO SUNDAY BLESSINGS AKL
Working together to help our friends in need since formation in 2018, Sunday Blessings has coordinated over 23,000 meals for our un-homed community.
Sunday Blessings Auckland is a grass roots community group founded by 3 families, the Van Ryn's, the McLeod's and the LeGallais family.
When starting out working together way back in May of 2018, we believed that no one living in Auckland City should have to search through a rubbish bin for food and we offered 1 meal per week on a Sunday at 6pm outside Auckland City Library. There were no other Sunday evening meals available in the city from any organisation and the name Sunday Blessings was perfect.
Since then we have collaborated with fellow community driven organisations such as Orange Sky, Tender Love and Care & AUT, as well as passionate individuals from all walks of life who have helped extend the blessings we share reach far further than just the 1 meal per week.
Firstly, we now hold meal services at 6pm on a Sunday & Tuesday outside Auckland Central Library as an absolute bare minimum, often increasing our services with an impromptu extra meal if we have surplus of food donations.
We have also provided day trips to guests who have mostly never been out of Auckland to the beach, facilitate clothing donations, are in discussions with an educational facility about a Sunday Blessings Scholarship and have helped the community of Glendowie Primary School to hold their own service in Panmure on the first Sunday of each month plus more!
The Orange Sky team are next to us at both of our City Services each week offering their legendary free shower & washing services, and we have an army of AUT Sunday Blessings students working constantly from doing back office administration to volunteering their time outside of their studies to work front line.
We have established 3 core values so far as we evolve:
1. Food with Love - Alleviating food insecurity for anyone living in poverty, particularly our un-homed community.
2. Sustainability - Reduction of food waste by utilising excess food from local retailers and organisational events that would otherwise go to waste, thereby sustainably extending our services for longer.
3. Peace - We aim to both bring together peacefully people from all living situations, ages, classes, ethnicities and more through the blessing of food & encourage a more peaceful community. A person who would otherwise be hungry at night is happier with a stomach full of warm nutritious food from a space of mutual respect without barriers. A person who cares for others purpose that creates happiness when helping their community.
Through attending a meal as guest or working with Sunday Blessings as volunteer, we believe it attributes to a more peaceful community that we all belong to as one.
If you don't believe us just come down and see the happiness at our meals or ask a Glendowie primary student what they get out of baking for our guests safely from their homes.
Sunday Blessings truly is by the community, for the community, with a less talk and more do attitude using the little that we have to make huge social impact.
Please follow us on social media and watch our stories to stay up to date with what we have on offer outside of our Sunday & Tuesday meals and get to know our volunteers and guests through our regular updates.
YOU CAN NOW DONATE EASILY ONLINE
For up to date information, please follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts or email if you'd like to discuss something specific.
