Bypassing the supermarkets

Holding a selection of produce for sale are All Saints’ Fruit and Veges volunteers (back row from...
Holding a selection of produce for sale are All Saints’ Fruit and Veges volunteers (back row from left) Shelley Hill, Betty Mason-Park, Samantha Watson, Macy Jensen and Lydia van der Pump. Market floor manager Cynthia Greensill is at the front. PHOTO: GILLIAN VINE
Every week, several hundred Dunedin people benefit from a scheme that sells high quality fruit and vegetables at bargain prices.

All Saints Anglican Church started the project in February 2015 and it has grown to cover five distribution centres from Green Island to Waitati.

Most customers pre-order bags of mixed produce on Mondays for collection on Thursdays.

There is also a sales table at All Saints Hall in Cumberland St, which anyone is welcome to use.

The cost is $14 for a family pack, $7 for a couple and $4 for a single.

Market floor manager Cynthia Greensill said bags for families and couples were the most popular.

Last week, a $14 family bag contained two broccoli, one celery head, a large leek, a quarter pumpkin, three carrots, four pears and three big apples.

Potatoes can be bought at $10 for a 10kg bag.

All Saints vicar Michael Wallace said the food was all of good quality as it was bought from MG Marketing, "the same wholesalers as supermarkets".

The emphasis is on local, seasonal produce, so bag contents vary from week to week.

Prices run at about half that of supermarkets, partly because the scheme is non-profit and run by volunteers.

"We have about 25 volunteers, they’re marvellous," Fr Wallace said.

"This [scheme] really does help people’s food security," he said.

"And we have capacity for more customers."

Visit www.allsaintsdn.org.nz/all-saints-fruit-and-veges for details, including distribution centres and times.

gillian.vine@thestar.co.nz