David Letele: Community leader forced to close foodbank

Community advocate David Letele has announced he will be shutting down his South Auckland foodbank which was supplying up to 1000 families a week. 

The operation received $87,000 worth of Government support but was distributing more than $500,000 worth of food. 

David Letele says he can no longer sustain the costs of running the foodbank as Government funding is no longer enough. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Community advocate David Litteally has announced he will be shutting
down his South Auckland food Bank, which was supplying up
to one thousand families a week. The operation received eighty
seven thousand dollars worth of government support, but it was
distributing more than five hundred thousand dollars worth of food.
David Littally says he can no longer sustain the costs

(00:20):
of running the food bank as government funding isn't enough
to cut it. And David Littally joins me, now, hey, Dave,
how are you?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Oh, not too bad? Tough David, it's all good push through.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
How big of an impact will this have on the community?
What happens to these families?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, so it's an absolute nightmare. I mean we leave
a huge gap in the community and we just we've
got to try work alongside and make sure that we
can connect families into other social services. There are services
out there that get the line share of the funding,
but they're not as high profile and out there as us,

(01:00):
and you know, they should be quite easy if you
need the help, that's where they are, just like we are.
But yeah, so look, people are thinking, well, how does
it appel to help so many will It feels great,
but now it's the double edged sword because it feels
it feels really bad. You know. You know, I've choked
up a few times when I think about where where
the family is going to go? So, yeah, up across

(01:22):
that bridge.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Look, but Dave, you're helping. You are still helping in
so many ways, you know that.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, Look, we have to focus on the on the
hand up stuff that we're doing. We continue on with
all the programs that we run, the health programs, you know,
the employment programs and all that type of stuff. So yep,
that's where we're heading. And we pivoted in COVID to
get into the space, and now we have to pivot again.
Otherwise it could will just sink everything.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
And is that that's why you're pivoting, so that you
don't lose everything. You can still keep those other programs running.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, Otherwise you know there's going to be you know,
across our organization, twenty staff that will be finished. So
you know, if I look at our trust account, you
know we have which I think is typical at the moment,
we have about three months. If things would have stopped,
we have about three months. We could keep going. But
we'd have no months if we kept going with what
we're doing with the food share. So you know, I

(02:11):
mean I did this publicly as well, because people need
to understand how tough charities and community groups are going
at the moment. You know, so many groups have already stopped,
not just stopped one part of the operation, they've stopped everything.
So there's all these people that are losing their jobs.
You know, you've got the All Consiting Mission. They're struggling.
You know, got groups like that, groups like us. So
you know, if groups like us, it's across the country

(02:34):
stopped because we can no longer continue. We are in
deep trouble in this country.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Dave, Is there any sign of a lifeline coming through?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
I did have a you know, I've had one organization
reach out and say we could help cover your lease.
That's through what you know, we've had the Wayne Brown's
office reached out and said how much do you need?
So some promising signs there, But at the same time,
I don't want to taken off other groups. You know.
That's so I haven't had anything from the government yet.

(03:05):
I just think, look, we're we hear everything we do
actually aligns really well with NAT. You know, we are
a hand up and not becoming not having people become
reliant on handouts and working for you know, break cycles
of poverty. But we just can't, you know, we just
can't get them the door.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
So yeah, Dave, you know, if you did get a
lifeline that it was for a short period of time,
do you actually want to take it? I mean, to
be honest with you, you sound tired. This sounds like
far too much hard work.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Yeah, I mean the last few years. I mean, you know,
you're trying to raise a million bucks every year for
one part of your organization. It's and then you think like, well,
you know, we do this for children, like no matter
what people think of the parents, right, no matter what,
it's not the kid's fault. And that's what drives me.
And that's that's the thing that's just so disheartening, you know,
and that these issues. I mean, it's such such a

(03:58):
common sense approach. You just have to support the groups
on the ground having impact with no resource. But it's
a long term thinking. You can't fix these problems over
three years. It needs to be need a book at
It's okay, let's start now in best Now so things
are better for our grand cldren.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Do you think that this is just the start of
more closures? Is this the reality for food banks and
charities is just not enough grants to go around.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah. I've had a lot of groups already closed, and
that's that's why I've done this publicly. A lot of
group's already closed. There's a lot of big groups are
really struggling, really struggling. And you know, he's a group
you wouldn't think of struggling, like people would look at
us and say, oh, this guy's out there, has got
a big brand. He must just be rolling and it's
just toddle opposite day.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
So yeah, hey, look, I know it's been a tough
day for you, but thanks for everything you've done, and
thank you for your time today.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1 (04:48):
That was Dave la Tally. They're talking about the fact
that he can no longer sustain the cost of running
his food bank, can He just sounds frustrated and exhausted
by the whole thing, doesn't he. Hurricane Milton has made
landfall Florida, over five point five million residents. We're told
to evacuate. Allison Petrowski is our Channel nine US correspondent.

(05:09):
She is in the ground in Florida. We are going
to catch up with her after five to get the latest.
But up next a massive Sean Johnson News It is
sixteen pass four. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to news

Speaker 2 (05:24):
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