Salvation Army major Gavin Baxter hopes his march across New Zealand, starting tomorrow, will not only raise awareness and funds for the Salvation Army foodbanks but also give people the tools to live with honour.
Supporting Marching for Meals will see the 65-year-old Greymouth man, travel more than 2000km over six months, visiting Salvation Army centres and encouraging the communities with message along the way.
Mr Baxter said that he wanted his walk to bring the food insecurity issue to the government’s attention and that people’s struggles were more than about being food poor.
"Food poverty goes a lot deeper than that ... it is about showing people that there is hope and helping them to see that they can achieve things one step at a time," he said.
Mr Baxter believed what was most important for him on his impending walk was to "give people the mana of providing for themselves".
His 31 years of service to the Salvation Army had given him enough experiences to know that it was "longer lasting earnings" that people needed, not "quick fixes" which would not help people to lead better lives.
He believed the period after Christmas was when families who needed help were at even higher risk.
"Christmas is a time of generosity but by the next month, people are back to struggling again ... we want this campaign to work to ensure people that we are there to help," he said.
All donations raised will go directly to replenishing the Salvation Army’s foodbanks nationwide, providing meals to whānau facing hardship post-holiday season.
Mr Baxter had partnered with food company Real Meals, who were providing him with dehydrated meals.
