SuperGrans Tairāwhiti is a holistic wellbeing service that offers whānau a hand when they need it the most without making judgements. Fifty-eight different agencies refer people to SuperGrans which has a staff that includes a general manager, a social worker, a chef, a field coordinator, a foodbank volunteer manager, and a receptionist. The SuperGrans focus is on food and warmth for people having a tough time.
Linda, their General Manager, thinks Good Bitches Baking is great. SuperGrans started getting weekly baking from GBB in 2020 and they really value it. Baking is saved for individuals and whānau that are, as Linda puts it “in dire need”, while the SuperGrans foodbank supplies many with general food requirements.
One of the mums on SuperGrans' radar was having a tough time with postnatal depression and was about to request hospitalisation. SuperGrans sent her a box of baking and Linda was amazed at the result of that small gesture. It really struck a chord with the mum; it was a turning point for her. She realised that others cared, and she didn’t need go through with her hospitalisation plan. As Linda says, this small gesture had a “huge ripple effect” with major social gains for the mum, as well as savings in health resourcing because she wasn’t hospitalised.
The importance of being able to show kindness
SuperGrans is a big group in Tairāwhiti providing the Tairāwhiti community with kai parcels, budgeting advice, life skills, cooking workshops, and social work support. One of their long-term regular volunteers came into the centre distraught at the passing of his grandmother. He had nothing to give when going to his grandmothers’ tangi. He was given a box of Good Bitches' baking, making a huge difference to how he felt going to the tangi with something to offer.
Another mum, who couldn’t afford Easter eggs for her children was hugely grateful to receive a GBB box of Easter-themed baking so she could give her children some treats at Easter.
Good Bitches bake because they love to be able to show they care through the kind act of baking. But it’s part of a special chain of giving and showing kindness. That feeling of giving is important for more than just GBB - SuperGrans love to give baking where it’s going to have a a major impact and it lifts the hearts of those who receive it and it means SuperGrans' recipients have something they can share as acts of kindness with others too.