Approaching 6 Months: A Look Back at Our Journey
We are approaching six months since we packed our very first food parcel back in March. When ElderLink started, we knew over-65s in Marlborough were feeling the squeeze, but you never fully understand the day-to-day reality until you are knocking on front doors across the region. What began as a small trial run has quickly turned into a steady, weekly routine.
The pressure out there is undeniable. Most of the people we visit live solely on New Zealand Superannuation, and with the price of basic groceries and winter power bills climbing, the maths simply doesn't work. A lot of people have told us that once rent or local rates are cleared, there often isn't much left for the week. That leads directly to skipped meals or heaters staying switched off on freezing July mornings.
Bringing groceries straight to the door solves an immediate problem, but the conversation at the doorstep is just as valuable. Many over-65s live on their own and can go days without talking to another person. Our volunteers take the time to have a yarn, ask after their general wellbeing, and check whether anything else around the house needs attention. Our team member Maria is fantastic in this area especially, and comes to ElderLink with many years of experience leading a similar service through the Anglican church in Renwick.
This approach turns a standard delivery into a genuine community visit.
None of this happens by accident. We rely entirely on the generosity of local businesses, market stall supporters such as our star fundraiser, Kamrin, and our donors who kindly send funding or groceries our way. Every crate of fresh produce and pantry staple comes directly from people right here in Marlborough who want to back their neighbours.
Heading into the second half of the year, we are working to get more fresh vegetables into our boxes and bring on a few more volunteers to share the delivery runs. To everyone who has donated funds or stopped by our Market Street stall to buy a raffle ticket: thank you. We're only six months into this work, and we are committed for the long haul.
When we look back at the journey so far, the biggest surprises have been behind the scenes. Running a charity involves far more than the deliveries themselves: there is the website work, the networking, and the slow business of learning how the wider support sector fits together. We have spent real time working out which organisations are responsible for what, including cases that look similar on the surface. Elder abuse at the hands of others and elder self-neglect sit with separate organisations under separate contracts, for example. Knowing where those lines fall means we can point someone towards the right support rather than leaving them to work it out alone.
Some challenges sit outside our control. Our office is in a part of the Blenheim CBD where anti-social behaviour is an ongoing issue, and that shapes how we run the space and when. We have had a few thefts from the premises, nothing major. Rough sleepers have also approached us for food and coffee. We were happy to help with hot drinks during the cold, wet weather of the past few weeks, but word got around and it has become an expectation. People are now hanging out outside the entrance, which has upset some of our neighbours. We have been working without our property manager and Police to manage some of the more serious of these issues. Our office needs to remain a safe space for volunteers and clients alike.
We also meet clients whose needs sit well beyond what our service can address, and we do our best to point them toward organisations that can help. Meanwhile, Ministry of Social Development staff have referred people of all ages to us for food assistance. ElderLink serves over-65s only, so those referrals have to be redirected, which takes time.
The deliveries themselves remain the most straightforward part of the week. The cars get loaded, the routes are familiar, and the people we visit make the effort worthwhile. Six months in, we know the work is less predictable than it looks from the outside. Whatever the week throws at us, the aim has not changed: making sure older people in Marlborough have someone in their corner.