Bellyful Whānau Stories
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Share Your Bellyful Story
Has Bellyful made a difference in your life? Whether you’ve received meals, volunteered, or supported us, we’d love to hear your story! Your experience helps us inspire others and show the impact of a warm meal and a caring community.
The day Bellyful knocked on the door: Riika’s story
When a Bellyful volunteer knocked on Riika’s door during COVID, she thought she was simply receiving a few meals. Five years later, as Branch Coordinator of Bellyful Whitianga, Riika can see that knock gave her something even more important: connection, friendship and...
A good deed in a weary world: Bellyful supporting families at Kidz First
At Kidz First Children’s Hospital in South Auckland, families arrive every day carrying far more than overnight bags. Some have travelled from Pukekohe. Others from Ōtara, East Auckland and across the wider South Auckland community. What they share is the same worry...
One less thing to carry
“I was a mum, with two under two. I didn’t realise how challenging it would be.” When Laila welcomed her second baby, life quickly became a juggle. With a newborn and a toddler at home, and her partner working full time — and spending his spare time renovating their...
“It was the help I never knew I needed”
When Charlotte heard about Bellyful at a mothers’ group, she was already carrying more than most people could see. “I had post-partum depression and as a first-time mum I didn’t realise how different it would be adjusting to a new ‘normal’. Even the littlest of help...
What a Meal Really Means
“Superstars!!” - That’s what Kyla calls the Bellyful volunteers who helped her whānau through some of their hardest days. With a newborn in hospital and a toddler at home, Bellyful meals gave her family something they desperately needed: time together. When Kyla’s...
Comfort Food: The Power of Kindness and Kai
The arrival of a new baby is a life-changing moment, but for Ashleigh and her whānau, joy was quickly met with sorrow. Just days into parenthood, they found themselves navigating not only the demands of a newborn but also the sudden loss of her mother-in law. “Aside...
Paying It Forward
The gift of Bellyful meals when her mum could not be with her after the birth of her first child has propelled Mercedes to give back so other parents can experience the same care. "I had my son in 2020 and we all know what happened that year - Covid. My mum was meant...
Nourishment at a Time of Need
A Bellyful Central Auckland recipient who received meals while her premature newborn was in Auckland Hospital shares her thanks. When our daughter arrived prematurely at 36 weeks, she faced challenges that led us to the NICU. After genetic test results and a...
From Grief to Gratitude
Cooking dinner can be the last thing on your mind when wading through the depths of grief. Bellyful made sure a Dunedin mum had some meals in the freezer to help through the dual emotion of losing one of her twins, and welcoming his brother. A close friend referred...
“Don’t know what I would have done without Bellyful”
An Auckland mum says Bellyful meals were a lifesaver during the exhausting haze of life with a newborn. Nicole was referred to Bellyful West Auckland by a close family friend who was also expecting. They had been discussing how they would manage cooking after their...
One Less Thing to Worry About
Welcoming their twin boys at just 27 weeks was a tumultuous time for North Canterbury couple Heather and Matt. Bellyful was able to make things a little easier by delivering some yummy, freshly-cooked meals. Twin boys Mack and Monty were born via emergency caesarean...
Full Circle
When Sarah Kerby stepped up to start Bellyful Nelson in 2018, she could never have imagined that just a few years later the charity would be helping her own whānau through a gruelling journey. Early this year Sarah’s gorgeous four-year-old son Willy had a series of...
Time to Breathe
After the youngest member of the Box whānau, little Mabel, spent a week in hospital, a delivery of Bellyful meals gave the Waikato farming family a chance to catch their breath. “I hadn’t cooked a hot meal in over two weeks. It was such a huge weight off our...
Getting Through COVID
Preparing meals was the last thing Aquila and her husband had the energy for when they were sick with COVID-19. Bellyful Christchurch was able to provide meals to help the whānau while they were in isolation. “My husband and I had COVID. We did not have energy to...
A Huge Help
Reaching out for help can be hard. But a Tauranga mum who was brave enough to refer her whānau, says the Bellyful meals were a huge help. Aimee* lives in Tauranga with her husband, their boys aged four and two, and their little dog. “I kept getting really sick from...
Reaching Out
The beautiful exhaustion of new twin babies was coupled with multiple hospital visits for Liz Buckley-Stokes. Bellyful meals helped ease the pressure. Liz, her husband and toddler had moved to a new North Canterbury town just two weeks before they welcomed their...
The Business of Giving
Owners of bulk-food store The Source Taupō, Fiona and Ken Harris are no strangers to moving home. The Taupō-based couple, who met while working in Turangi, have relocated three times over their 11-year relationship – to Vancouver, Auckland, and most recently...
A Dad’s Story: Easing The Stress
Of all the things Daniel and his partner Beatriz planned for when expecting their baby, their beautiful son Marco being born at just 26 weeks and five days gestation was the last thing they imagined. Little Marco spent the first 97 days of his life in hospital. “It...
Welcoming twins under Covid-19 Alert Level 3
Laura’s family in the UK were due to fly out to support her with the birth of her twins in May, but COVID-19 threw a spanner into that plan. With New Zealand’s border essentially closed under Alert Level 4, her family members cancelled their travel. Laura and her...
A weight off the shoulders
Being a working parent can be a real juggle. Getting the kids ready for school, arriving at work on-time, making your way through that growing laundry pile after you’ve rustled up a half-way decent evening meal for the whānau. Things are pretty hectic at the best of...
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