ENRICHING OUR COMMUNITY
Wairarapa Community Centre Trust (WCCT)
FOOD RESILIENCE WAIRARAPA'S THREE COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES
GROW COMMUNITY GARDENS
We have 11 plots planted in our community garden situated at St Matthews Church, Park Ave, Masterton. Most of these are allocated to social agencies and their clients so that people can learn to grow nutrient-dense-organic vegetables and experience the mental health benefits of being in the garden environment.
We run regular community workshops, for example how to grow and use herbs, how to espalier fruit trees, making compost etc.
We're currently getting the beds ready and planting spring crops.
We meet: EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING 10am-12pm.
EVERYONE WELCOME TO COME
ALONG AND HELP, CONNECT, AND LEARN!
We also run weekend workshops. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for these
COMMUNITY COOKING CLASSES (CCC)
Our community cooking classes are ‘hands-on’, where people learn how to cook nutritious, budget-friendly meals. We give tips on supermarket shopping, reducing food waste, bulk cooking and how to make food interesting with the ingredients we have. We are able to offer these classes with the support of REAP (Rural Education Activities Programmes).
Our vision is a community where everyone can cook basic meals for family and friends to share.
Cooking classes will restart in 2024. We will update new dates and times soon.
COMMUNITY KITCHEN (CK)
PROVIDING EMERGENCY MEALS
We run our community kitchen in partnership with Departmernt of Internal Affairs (DIA). Free ‘heat and eat meals’ are available for people in emergency situations. We’ve been preparing meals since 2018.
25,000kg of food is received each year. Our food comes from:
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Waiwaste,
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Masterton Foodbank
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other local sources.
A team of 100 volunteers create home cooked, nutritious meals that are distributed via our 51 community agency partners. Around 7,700 emergency meals were provided in 2022/23.
Our kitchen also provides hot meals several times a week for people who use a homeless shelter.