Shop and Drop

 

Community Waikato identified an area of need within our community during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Many individuals were unable to access essential grocery services and food, for a range of different reasons. Community Waikato approached Pukete Neighbourhood House on the possibility of providing support around this issue, and the “House” responded!

Community Waikato and Pukete Neighbourhood House worked hard throughout week two of lockdown to bring this idea to fruition and the first ‘shop and drop’ was completed on the 9th April 2020, only 2 weeks after Level 4 lockdown came into place. We would like to acknowledge the swift action and response from Raewyn at Countdown Bridge Street and Carl at New World Te Rapa for supporting the initiative.

Pukete Neighbourhood House are now providing an Essential Shopping Service dubbed “Shop and Drop New Zealand” to allow access to essential supermarket shopping items. This is a PAID service, customers will be required to pay for their grocery items. This service primarily targets individuals who cannot leave their homes for a range of reasons including; being immune compromised, older or for those where digital literacy is an issue (eg. Cannot shop online).

HOW SHOP AND DROP WORKS:

  • All approved shopping assistants need to attend an online ZOOM induction meeting. This covers the Shop and Drop Service, safety considerations and the expectations of them in their roles.

  • Customers requiring help will contact the Pukete Neighbourhood House via email shopanddrop@pukete.org.nz or phone 027 862 0263.

  • The job is allocated to a shopping assistant to complete. If the shopping request is received before 12pm it will be allocated that day, if the request is received after 12pm it will be allocated to the next shopping day. Initially this service will operate Tuesday & Thursday.

  • The shopping assistant contacts the customer to confirm their “shopping list”. This does not include alcohol or tobacco products.

  • Shopping is completed by the approved volunteer shopper at either Countdown Bridge Street or New World Te Rapa. The supermarket checkout controller will process the groceries to the charge account once the supervisor sights the volunteers ID to confirm their identity and that they are on the approved shopping assistant list.

  • Once the shop is completed the shopping assistant delivers the groceries along with the receipt at the customer’s letterbox and phones the customer to notify them that the delivery has been completed. The shopping assistant will not leave the address until they visually see the customer collect their shopping.

  • The customer will then receive an invoice from Community Waikato for payment of the groceries.

  • Shopping assistants are required to track their own mileage and expenses for later reimbursement.

  • The Quality Assurance Office will contact all customers after a completed job to ensure all deliveries are completed and customer is satisfied.

The dedicated team of volunteers led by Pukete Neighbourhood House have worked relentlessly in their mission to support the vulnerable in our community and across Hamilton City, including:

Client 38 – Single mother, who had been tested for COVID-19 and couldn’t get to the shop to feed her infant child, who wanted to share “how thankful and grateful I am to you and your team… It has eased a lot of pressure off me and I truly appreciate it”.

Client 1 – 91 years old, living alone, blind, who can’t see the phone to call out, and needs someone to call her weekly to check what she needs who “was worried she wouldn’t have any food” and “loved she had people in the community helping people who couldn’t get to the supermarket”.

Client 36 – Living alone, physical disability, immunocompromised who stated that she “found it amazing and said if she didn’t have something like this she wouldn’t have been able to do it herself” going on to say “the volunteer was an angel and will continue to use our service”.

Not only does the Shop and Drop programme provide shopping services to our vulnerable, we have found it can also provide safe social connection for those living alone,

Client 9 – Elderly man, living alone, who suggested that “He was happy that there was young people helping the community in this time of need” and that “I had made his day talking to him and making sure everything was ok with his service” continuing to state that “he also found having someone to talk to was fantastic”.

Pukete Neighbourhood House will follow the advice set out by the New Zealand Government and relevant government departments in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most up-to-date advice can be found at covid19.govt.nz , the health and wellbeing of our team is of ultimate importance.

COVID-19 has identified that there are many vulnerable people who require this type of assistance. Once we move out of COVID-19 Alert levels, Pukete Neighbourhood House will be examining the viability of the Shop and Drop service ongoing.

 
 
Lisa Ryan