The Magic Ingredient

The joy that meals from our partner charity, Bellyful, bring is the magic ingredient that has kept volunteer Sharon Pittam giving her time and love to the charity for more than a decade.

Sharon has been with Bellyful East Auckland since it opened in 2013. In that time, the branch has delivered tens of thousands of meals to families in East Auckland. Sharon is one of more than 700 incredible volunteers across 25 Bellyful branches nationwide. These volunteers cook and deliver delicious meals to whānau who need support – often exhausted new parents, families with someone unwell, those without extended family nearby, or those simply going through a tough time.

Bellyful provides enough meals for a few nights, ensuring there’s something in the freezer for those challenging evenings. “I am a people person who enjoys the service we give and the joy it brings to families in need,” Sharon says when asked what keeps her coming back.

Sharon first learned about Bellyful through an article in a local paper, which inspired her to reach out to local branch coordinators and offer her help. “I attended the first Bellyful East Auckland meeting at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club. After that, I became a volunteer to show my support and get involved.”

Over the years, Sharon has taken on numerous roles, including helping at monthly Cookathons, fundraising, raising awareness, managing laundry from Cookathons, and organising branch volunteer gatherings. Her favourite memory is a joint fundraiser with Rotary to raise funds for the branch’s first freezer – a freezer she’s delighted to report is still going strong a decade later. She credits her involvement with Rotary for teaching her how to organise fundraisers, a skill she has brought to many Bellyful events.

“I find Bellyful is one of the small local charities that has survived COVID and economic pressures,” Sharon says. “The chairperson of the local Salvation Army, where we hold our Cookathons, is amazed by what we do and encourages us to keep going as long as we have.”

Andrea Martin, Bellyful East Auckland’s Branch Coordinator, credits the charity’s strength to incredible volunteers like Sharon. “Our Bellyful volunteers are amazing. The care they have for our local community and the love and energy they put into helping whānau through everything they do is so special. I truly feel honoured to be part of this.”

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Words and images supplied by Bellyful.