A bit about us
Meat the Need is a three-year-old charity that is farmer founded and farmer led. We connect the dots between farmers who want to donate some of what they produce and families in need.
Produce, in the form of premium mince and milk, is donated by farmers and put into the hands of those already on the frontlines of food insecurity in NZ: food banks and community organisations. Food banks already know the needs of their local community, and it's through them that mince and milk is given to families that need it.
Ultimately, our aim is for no one to go hungry in NZ. We also believe everyone should have access to the nutritious protein that is grown right here in NZ. Alongside farmers, we’re on a mission to achieve just that.
100% of farmer donations go directly into feeding families, whether that be livestock, milk or online donations (e.g. a ‘virtual animal’ or a ‘box of meat’).
If you’re a farmer, you can donate by signing up on our website. Rural businesses can also back Meat the Need by joining our ‘Rural Business Supporters Scheme’.
Siobhan O'Malley
Wayne Langford

JULIA JONES

Greg McSkimming

CHEYENNE WILSON

JESSIE CHAN

Nicki Mackay

Shaheen Junge

Sarah Gagliardi

Sandra Alfeld
AWARDS

Sustainable Business Awards Finalist
Meat the Need is a 2020 Sustainable Business Awards Finalist! The Awards are designed to showcase and highlight the fantastic contribution we are making towards sustainability in New Zealand.
High fives all round!

NZ Food Heroes 2020 Finalist
Meat The Need is a finalist in the NZ Food Hero as part of the 2020 New Zealand Food Awards. To all our farmers donating to the programme, thank you for all your hard work helping Kiwis during lockdown!
A Peek into our process
Talk to farmers
Farmers are generous and caring community members, and they let us know they want to donate cash or livestock to feeding NZ families.
Collect the Animal
- Together, Meat the Need and Silver Fern Farms arrange the collection and processing of the donated livestock from the farmer.
Link the need
Meat the Need staff speak with community organisations who feed vulnerable New Zealanders and we arrange the safe and regular delivery of our donated meat to them.
Deliver the goods
Through our distribution network, we deliver frozen meat to key locations around NZ that can send out smaller quantities when our community organisations need it. We monitor to make sure our deliveries are timely and respond to changing demand from our food banks and organisations.
Share the results
Communicate with our partners, sponsors and donors the impact that our charity is making as regularly as we are able, via our website and email newsletter, as well as our social media platforms. We want to ensure that each kilogram of meat donated reaches the families in need.