Rising demand and growing complexity of needs exacerbated by a fall in funding has been highlighted at a recent forum of Round Table discussions, attended by local charities.

Last year, Hawke’s Bay Foundation distributed $190,042 to 51 local charities, working tirelessly at the coalface of a community still reeling from a cyclone and now in the midst of economic recession.

Additional diminished fundraising from local businesses and donors is having a knock-on effect, with many not-for-profit organisations left balancing growing demand for their services against limited funding.

Helping buffer the burgeoning gap, Hawke’s Bay Foundation is fulfilling its community mandate in sustaining the operations of those worst affected.

“Our ability to fund more will only increase in line with the growth of our endowment fund. While many funders face a reduced capacity to fund, we will continue to step up for a community in need”, says Distributions Officer Vanessa Bousfield.

At a recent series of Round Table gatherings, 43 charitable groups met collectively to share the year’s challenges and successes along with how recent Hawke’s Bay Foundation funding has helped sustain them.

Birthright Hawke’s Bay CEO Fiona Parrant says this year’s funding helped provide forty clinical supervision sessions for staff.

“For us it’s about the people, the people, the people. It’s critically important that our social workers and early childhood teachers are well supported, so that they’ve got the resilience and strength to serve the communities who are so desperately in need.

“We’d be really struggling and in fact, may not even exist without organisations like Hawke’s Bay Foundation. Our amazing team do really incredible, tough, challenging mahi, but they too need championing and for that we are extremely grateful.”

Debbie Bailey started her own charity Kidnnecctions last year, working long hours without drawing a wage. She’s passionate about providing a supervised space for children to maintain a sense of family, when conflict tears them apart.

“If it hadn’t had been for Hawke’s Bay Foundation last year, we just wouldn’t have been able to keep operating because it helped pay for staff, power and phone bills. It made such a pivotal difference, enabling us to function and for that I’m eternally thankful.”