At lunchtime on a Tuesday in September, reporter ALICE PARMINTER joins around 40 people at the 305 Drop In Centre. It’s a diverse group of locals: some are homeless, some are elderly, others have come with family. They’re all here for a warm meal and companionship, and spirits are high.
This is Tasty Tuesday, a weekly community lunch hosted by the Living Well Trust. Several churches, including Equippers, the Baptist Church, the Catholic Church and the Brethren Church, take turns cooking, serving and cleaning. Today the kitchen is staffed by the “305ers” – regular guests from the 305 Drop In Centre and adjacent food bank at at 305 Mary St, Thames.
When I arrive, it’s already bustling, as people sign in and grab a glass of cordial. Kids play in the corner; others catch up at the tables.
I tuck myself into a sofa next to Bubsy, who’s here with her four-year-old daughter. She’s a former meth user, she tells me, and she comes to the 305 because she feels comfortable here.
“[Meth] kept me calm, but then I started realising that I was abusing it. So I came here. And a lot of the people that I seen here, they were people that I knew growing up as a kid,” she says.
“No one’s judging no one.”
More than just a meal, Bubsy says it’s the community that keeps her coming back.
“The biggest part of it is being around people that have hit rock bottom, and they’ve been through so many struggles. But for me, I can learn off those people. Just to help me be a better person because geez, I’m still growing.”
The benefits aren’t just for her. Bubsy’s daughter is gaining valuable social interaction as well.
“That’s the thing that I like about the old people,” Bubsy says, gesturing at Pat, a guest sitting at the tables.
“They talk to us like we’re normal people, you know? They don’t pity us. [And] my kids have got no grandparents alive.
“So they interact with these ones like with grandparents and I love it. It’s something my baby’s missed out on. Yeah, they’re really cool, these people.”
For her part, Pat is happy to oblige.
“If I didn’t come in, some days I wouldn’t see anyone,” she says.
“I rang my daughter one time, she said, ‘What do you want, mum? I’m busy’.”
Across the room, people line up for food. Today’s menu includes devilled sausages with mashed potatoes, garlic bread, salad, and chocolate pudding. The kitchen is overseen by Joseph Kaa, a former chef at the Workingman’s Club and the Royal Oak Hotel in Tapu, who is channelling his passion for food into volunteer work.
Mel is one of the servers today; she’s also on the regular cooking roster. She’s been off meth and off the streets for five years now.
“Everyone here has come from either rough sleeping or we’ve had times in our lives where we’ve struggled – it’s nice to give back,” she says.
Amanda Goldfinch from the Living Well Trust says Mel and several other regular guests are finding a purpose in the kitchen.
“It was my idea actually to include the 305 regular people to do the Tasty Tuesday because I just feel that there’s no reason why they can’t give back to the community,” she says.
“That’s been really awesome, to see them contributing to stuff. It’s like there’s this little light bulb moment… They’re like, oh, well, we have a responsibility, and we have to take care of that and do it well.”
It’s a full house now, as the leftovers are bagged up and passed out. Numbers have grown at Tasty Tuesday in recent months, the trust says. And the number of distributed food parcels has nearly doubled this year – where the monthly average used to be 40, now the trust is handing out between 70 and 90 parcels each month.
The extra need coincides with a heightened public awareness of rough sleepers. Two meetings in June and July, hosted by Thames Coromandel District Council, discussed “issues surrounding rough sleeping in Thames”. The meetings were attended by various community and social service groups, along with council, community board and business association members and representatives from the Police, the Ministry of Social Development and Kainga Ora Thames.
Several gaps were identified in support for rough sleepers, including a lack of accommodation, overnight shelter, work opportunities, and facilities such as showers.
However, little has come from the meetings so far.
“Addressing the issues will require more funding and stronger co-operation between government agencies, community organisations, and support services,” council community partnerships co-ordinator Helen Flynn says.
“The meetings raised awareness about available support and strengthened relationships between agencies. A resource list with agency roles and contact details was also shared with those who attended.”
Thames Coromandel district councillor Martin Rodley says there’s also a balance council needs to strike, between providing services for those who need it and avoiding making the district attractive for other rough sleepers to move here.
“[And] as much as there are elected members who feel that yes, that is the role for council to be in that space, I think we’re just being mindful of financial constraints and what our new government actually thinks we should be doing.”
Some of Thames’ rough sleepers aren’t interested in help either, Martin says, noting that several agencies are aware of some vulnerable people who don’t want support or housing.
“There is a degree of people choosing a different lifestyle to what you and I would consider normal… and sometimes it was choices that they hadn’t made, around abuse [or] state care – there was just a whole range of factors going on.”
The Living Well Trust’s 2024 survey estimates there are as many as 60 rough sleepers in Thames, mostly aged in their 20s to 50s. While three quarters of them are male, there’s an even split between Pākehā and Māori.
But the trust says only 10 per cent of Tasty Tuesday’s guests are homeless. The rest are simply “people who are doing it tough”.
Back at the 305, things are winding up. I talk to Graeme as he runs the vacuum past my feet.
“I want the public to know that it’s not just for people that are homeless and that are struggling. Anybody can come here,” he says.
“[People] sort of look down at everybody here, whereas they should be looking up. Everybody’s getting fed, everybody’s happy.”
“There’s such a diverse age group and living circumstances,” Amanda adds.
“We all just, you know, commune together.”
DETAILS: In addition to Tasty Tuesdays, the 305 Drop In Centre is open Monday-Thursday, 9am-12pm for free breakfast, tea and coffee. It’s a relaxing space to connect, relax and seek spiritual guidance. The centre also operates a food bank, open Monday-Thursday, 9am-1:30pm. Contact The Living Well Trust, Ph 07 868 6274, or visit livingwell.org.nz for more information or to donate.
