Women on a mission: the six friends ‘lifting heavy’ to help others

Saturday, 9 December 2023

Christchurch City Mission food bank volunteers (left to right), Barb Harwood, 74, Anna Raymond, 58, Sue Rusbridge, 76, Anne Burgess, 73, Mary Kennedy, 75, and Jenny Hay, 55, working their weekly shift.

Every Thursday morning a very special group of women gather at Christchurch City Mission’s food bank.

Barb Harwood, Jenny Hay, Anne Burgess, Anna Raymond, Mary Kennedy and Sue Rusbridge are all volunteers at the City Mission’s Hereford St site, something most of them have done for at least five years.

Over those years they have gone from being a group of strangers to a “great team of friends”, said Hay. “We never would've met otherwise.”

They have also seen first-hand how the people of Christchurch are struggling.

The food bank has had to make an extra 50 parcels a week for families this year, feeding 2200 people every fortnight. The mission now buys food to keep up with demand.

“It’s not until you get here and work here that you realise what a huge, huge need there is out there,” said Harwood, who has been volunteering for nine years.

Jennifer Rossie doing shopping for a friend this June, at the City Mission’s self-serve food bank.

“There’s a huge demand and it’s getting bigger.”

Harwood said most of the time it isn’t the poor they see walking through the food banks, but working people who have been hit with surprise costs that tip them over the edge. “The ‘working poor’,” she said.

Volunteering for the mission isn’t an easy task. The ladies, most of whom are over 70, lift boxes, sort beef bones and pack food.

However, despite the work being mundane and confronting, the women behind the scenes said knowing they are doing something for their city and the people in it keeps them motivated.

“When you’re in the self -serve [food bank] and you see people coming to get their food they are just overwhelmed. Some are in tears, because they just can’t believe that they’re getting so much food for nothing,” said Burgess.

“We haven’t got millions of dollars but we’re well housed, well fed and we’re lucky,” Harwood said. “We’ve got so much and there’s so many people that have got so little.”

The ladies say spending time with each other every Thursday has helped them talk about things they may be struggling with, and allows them to let off steam.

Not only has volunteering together helped them give back, but it has also helped many of them cope with what has happened in their own lives.

When Harwood’s husband died last year her food bank friends rallied around her. They did the same when Rusbridge’s son died.

They look forward to seeing each other every week and miss each other when someone’s away sick. Not only are they helping Cantabrians, but they are helping each other.

“Sometimes you can just let off steam to each other. Morning tea is a great time to sit around and have a chat, and if something’s been bugging you you can talk about it,” said Burgess, a smile on her face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad day,” said Kennedy.

“You’re a little ray of sunshine, darling,” replied Harwood.

In an effort to help the mission in the New Year, The Press is encouraging readers to take part in its campaign to start a reverse advent calendar, the idea being to give rather than receive.

People are encouraged to grab a calendar, grab a box and pop a donation inside on every day in December, with the full boxes then going to the City Mission in time for January.

Reverse advent boxes can be taken to the mission's reception every weekday from 8.30am to 5pm. (It is not open weekends or public holidays.) Make sure to snap a photo of you and your box and send it to reporters@press.co.nz - we hope to publish a page of pictures of our generous readers.