SERVICE IS MEDICINE

Then

Love Soup began twelve years ago, but the story behind it started much earlier. From the age of five, I was going through rubbish bins looking for food. My mum was raising four girls alone, and the little money we had went on housing. Later, as a teenager working in hospitality, I saw just how much food was being thrown away. It really disturbed me.

This work is a calling, but it’s also part of my own survival story. I’ve lived through extreme depression. I was diagnosed bipolar and was in and out of mental hospitals five times in five years. In 2011, I nearly died. I was obsessed with dying for ten years—I truly didn’t think I’d make it to 40. But when I was in ICU, unconscious for three days, I had a moment of clarity. It was a very spiritual experience and I realised I was meant to live. From there, I had to will myself to get better. That was the beginning of my journey toward hope.

Now

Today, Love Soup operates in Tokoroa, Hibiscus Coast, Rotorua, and parts of the North Shore. Food rescue is our core—food brings people together.

We support thousands of people each week, working with food banks, churches, schools, and charities. We run community meals and pop-ups that also offer clothing, toys, and giveaways. We rescue around half a million kilos of food each year, and we’re supported by around 250 volunteers. We’re like a tree with many branches, and through those branches flow people who want to serve—because this work helps them heal, too. I know it does for me.

A wasteful society and why I do this

I hate food waste. Not just in supermarkets, but in our own homes too. People want everything to be perfect—A-grade fruit and veg—but there’s nothing wrong with a speckled apple or a soft broccoli stem. It’s still good food. That’s where we come in.

We work with around ten supermarkets and several businesses. We get a few tonnes of food a week. It’s all still edible, and it helps us feed thousands. Supermarkets have been very supportive. We’re high on the food rescue priority list—above pig farms and animal feed. We get the food for free. Manufacturers often don’t know they can donate safely too. I want them to know there’s a Good Samaritan clause—they can’t be prosecuted if the food is safe.

This work keeps me well. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need food rescue. But this is my wellness plan—and the best part of my life.

Inconvenient truth

The truth is, poverty and hunger are destroying people’s mental health. We see it all the time—single mums barely coping, kids going undiagnosed. Even people with jobs can’t make ends meet. So many are falling through the cracks. The frontline stories we hear every day—I wish government ministers could see it. Really see it. We’re the ones out here preventing suicide. Reducing crime. Holding people together.

Come along and experience it

When people ask to volunteer, we invite them to join us at one of our community dinners first. It’s a way to experience the work and connect with the team. Often, it’s the start of something bigger. We never struggle for volunteers—people want to help, because the work speaks for itself.

My message is simple: service is the medicine. It’s how I’ve stayed well. We heal by helping others. When you serve, you stop thinking the world revolves around you. You realise—there’s something I can do.

Horizon Newsletter

The advocate for New Zealander's mental health

SERVICE IS MEDICINE

The need to share hope and alleviate poverty

Then

Now

A wasteful society and why I do this

Inconvenient truth

Come along and experience it

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