A grant of $3,000 from Hawke’s Bay Foundation to the Wairoa Financial Literacy Service has provided a welcome boost to the organisation’s Financial Mentoring Programme

The programme sees individuals or whanau working one-on-one with a financial mentor for three half-day sessions.

Service Manager Ngaio Bell says participants are supported to shop, identify specials, plan menus and do a weekly household budget to prioritise their expenditure.
“Wairoa has only one supermarket which severely restricts choices and economy,” says Ngaio. “However, with a little bit of effort, participants learn to make savings by planning.”

The programme is a supplementary service provided to WFLS clients and is supported by volunteers, including a retired pharmacist who teaches cooking skills and instructs on nutrition and diabetes awareness.

Community support is vital to the service and they are grateful to their large team of volunteers, and generous donations of food and toys which are redistributed to families in need.
“However, without the financial contribution of the Hawke’s Bay Foundation we would not have the capacity to undertake this project.”