September 15, 2023
Foodbank burglary indicates desperate need
Social entrepreneur Dave Letele says a burglary at the storeroom of his south Auckland foodbank this week highlights the desperate straits many people are living in.
The former boxer, who’s standing as an independent in Mangere, says both the Wiri foodbank and his Tokoroa social supermarket are under extreme pressure.
“Things getting worse, people are more desperate. It’s no accident there’s an increase in crime – there’s an increase in poor people, poor desperate people, and out of everything it’s the kids suffer so it’s extremely sad when you see situations of what some of these children are going through,” Mr Letele says.
He says even when parents are working, the high cost of living and precarious housing makes it difficult for families to get by – and the solutions put forward by ACT and National won’t fix anything.