Annual Kai for Octacan, annual foodbank appeal.

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Message from the Otago Presbyterian Support 

"Octacan is Presbyterian Support Otago’s major winter food drive and supports many local people through the colder months. This year we are holding Octacan on the shortest day of the year on Thursday 22 June 2023, as we look forward to Matariki – the Māori New Year, which is the time of year harvest would traditionally have happened.

Kai for Octacan is our ‘harvest’, when we gather and secure food for those in our community who are grappling with the impact of hardship, and find they need the support of our Family Works Foodbank.

We invite you and your community to help us re-stock Dunedin’s busiest foodbank by donating cans of food.

Reaching out to the foodbank is often just the start of a someone’s journey with us. Our Family Works team understand everyone has a unique story, and we provide help that is tailored to each individual or family. Our social workers are seeing a growing number of working families seeking help. We help by providing food parcels, social work support, financial mentoring, support to find emergency housing, or by providing winter clothing.

Matariki is important as it signifies our connection to food resources and the environments they can be found in. Five of the Matariki stars are connected to areas of our environment where food is harvested. This year we will again be arranging donated cans into the shape of the Matariki cluster, and each star will represent a particular food group.

Getting involved is easy! You can start right now by donating online below or start gathering cans and coins by setting up a collection point and then drop your donations off at the Lower Octagon on the day.

Thank you! "