What started as a social media campaign in 2014 has now become a fully-fledged community development project. ‘I Love Avondale is all about showing and growing the good in our hood,’ says team lead Jaclyn Bonnici.
A charitable trust, I Love Avondale, is made up of three interlinked projects. Kai Avondale is a free community food initiative that delivers up to 100 much-needed food parcels to locals each week. Around 90% of the produce is rescued or donated, so Kai Avondale is also making a significant contribution to reducing food waste.
Furthermore, Kai Avondale serves a delicious and nutritious two-course community dinner every fortnight at the Avondale Community Centre. ‘Last year, our Feed the Streets project dished up over 3,000 free hot meals to people in need, providing nourishment and connection through food and togetherness,’ says Jaclyn. Furthermore, locals can access rescued and donated kai once a week at the Free Guys social supermarket.
I Love Avondale’s Pātiki Hubs initiative focuses on tamariki and rangatahi aged from 5 to 15. Various fantastic things happen under the Pātiki Hubs’ umbrella, including a busy breakfast club, after-school health and fitness sessions and homework clubs.
Pātiki Hubs also oversees the in-demand free school holiday programmes. Around 40 young people are engaged in an exciting programme of off-site and on-site sports, games, crafts, and much more each school holiday. Jaclyn says that paid school holiday programmes are out of reach for many local families, so I Love Avondale’s free one meets a huge need.
The third and final aspect of I Love Avondale’s work is storytelling. Social media campaigns like the highly successful People of Avondale showcase the local community’s strengths and foster a sense of pride and belonging.
These community programmes are offered free or at a low cost to locals. And they are delivered by a dedicated bunch of volunteers. As a charitable trust, I Love Avondale relies on the support of funders to keep the show on the road. Jaclyn says that finding help towards operational expenses is getting harder and harder.
However, a successful 2024 Your West Support Fund application has added $20,000 to the organisation’s resources. The money has been well spent on salary costs, volunteer expenses and paying the bills.
Jaclyn advises that I Love Avondale does not have secure multi-year funding, so the Your West Support Fund has helped provide certainty.
Demand for I Love Avondale’s community development projects is stronger than ever. Check out the website for all the details, and follow the organisation on Facebook to keep updated.
