Kai for the Community

28/03/2026

✨ 8 weeks in our new home ✨

It’s hard to believe we’ve already been in our new premises for 8 weeks — what a whirlwind it has been!

The feedback from our community has been amazing especially the love for the outdoor area, which has quickly become a place for connection, laughter, and shared kai. Our volunteers have settled straight into the new kitchen with the welcome addition of a few new faces to the team! It already feels like home behind the scenes, with everyone working together to keep things flowing each week. We continue learning, adjusting, and finding our rhythm. Every week we’re adapting, improving, and growing into the space.

With thanks to the following wonderful groups who have opened the space in service.

✨Catholic Cathedral Parish ✨
✨Villa Maria College ✨
✨Dy's Group ✨
✨Interfaith Group ✨
✨Toka Tū Ake ✨
✨St Bedes ✨

01/02/2026

✨ We’re delighted to finally announce our partnership with St Vincent de Paul ✨

Following their announcement of a new concept store, we can now formally share our partnership with St Vincent de Paul.

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to collaboration and community, with each organisation bringing its own strengths into a space centred on dignity, care, and connection.

Through St Vincent de Paul’s new concept store at 35 Manchester Street, Kai for the Community now has purpose built home. For us, this provides the stability and space needed to continue our current community initiatives, while developing further wrap-around support over time.

Being based alongside St Vincent de Paul creates opportunities for connection and collaboration, allowing Kai to contribute what we do best within a wider ecosystem of community care.

We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside Vinnies and look forward to what this partnership enables for our community 💛

Please come along to the grand opening of St Vincent de Paul Manchester Street 7th February at 10am.

Send a message to learn more

21/01/2026

21/01/2026

It has been a very busy 4 weeks for our crew! We have been cleaning, painting, sanding, sealing, unpacking, working to some pretty epic 80s tracks and more painting! We are so close to finalising our new ware! We can’t wait to welcome you into our space. Doors open 5pm - 25th January! Entrance off Atlas Way, Christchurch City Centre.

02/01/2026

2026 and we are moving!! It has been a few years in the making and when it finally did happen - boy it moved quickly! but with thanks to a secondary organisation, we have been given OUR OWN SPACE opening 25th January 2026! This is a very exciting time for us as we move into a new phase of operation that will see us grow our social service side of operations further - watch this space!! but with that also comes huge financial fear! And so we are starting the year with our biggest fundraising campaign to date. There are tables, chairs, ovens, sterilisers, urns and consumables on the shopping list! There are various ways you can support us from foregoing the cup of coffee in lieu of a $5 donation to sponsoring a table or chair or both! As we are a registered charitable trust all donations from $5 are tax deductible. We are totally self-funded and every dollar raised goes straight back into the operation. Bank account details can be found on our ABOUT page. Are you a skilled trades person (plumber, electrician, tiler) that can lend us an hour of your time and skills? Send us a DM. Are you a group that has been on the fringes of wanting to help? Flick us a message! There are a multitude of ways that you can get involved and we would love to have you on board!

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02/01/2026

At the end of every year there is a reflection and this year is no different. It has been a very big one for Kai. We started the year off strong but as the year progressed we faced a few challenges that very nearly derailed the work we do. Due to Government cuts and even worldwide events, some of our wonderful groups who have supported us over the past 7 years had to either reduce their bookings or cancel their bookings all together. We had to close a few Sundays due to the increase in self-catering to ease the pressure on our fixed volunteers. Our bank account saw nil figures far more times than was comfortable BUT we made it through with everyone intact! And despite it all we still served 42 Sundays with a calculated average of 95 people attending per week. That means this year we have served around 4370 people! Over the past 7 years - factoring in growth, we have calculated approximately 24,500 meals/heads served. That is excluding take aways and second servings. This is absolutely 100 percent not possible without the village that we have at Kai. From our weekly volunteers to our groups who book in. It would be absolutely 100 percent impossible without you. Thank you to everyone who has walked through our doors in service. We closed off 2025 with the Canterbury Sri Lankan Group and over 110 service users through our doors! A big ending to what has been a big year.

20/12/2025

🎂 19th December saw us celebrate our 7th birthday🎂

This past year has been one of growth, not only in the number of people we support, but in the community of people committed to serving others.

With more volunteers, more helping hands, and more hearts dedicated to supporting whānau, our kaupapa has continued to strengthen.

We are deeply grateful to the volunteers, supporters, and partners who make Kai possible.

Your generosity and belief in our work continue to shape who we are and how we show up for others.

Thank you for being part of the Kai journey.💛

20/12/2025

We have been so bad on the comms these last 6-months and for very good reason ... our amazing marketing guru left us for her overseas travels. Her loss has been felt deeply and while we miss her (and her unbelievable skills) immensely, we are so very happy for her and all her successes.

Our end of year wrap up - we would like to thank from the bottom of our hearts the following groups for seeing us through our 3rd and 4th quarters.

🌟 The Interfaith Group 🌟
🌟 The Soroptomist Group 🌟
🌟 Catholic Cathedral Parish 🌟
🌟 Young Vinnies 🌟
🌟 Catholic Cathedral College 🌟
🌟 Jesus Youth Group 🌟
🌟 Star of the Sea School 🌟
🌟 Dy's Group 🌟
🌟 North Parish 🌟
🌟 EQC 🌟
🌟 Villa Maria College 🌟

And of course our self-catering group for the non-covered weeks.