Grassroots food charity, Kura Kai, has this week launched an easy online donation platform Feed our Cause, Feed our Kaupapa with set amounts from as little as $20.

The charity is well-known for facilitating the distribution of nutritious meals through secondary schools around the country.

Kura Kai founder and trustee, Makaia Carr, says the website has launched just in time for the Christmas season.

"We are encouraging businesses and individuals around Aotearoa to share the Christmas spirit this year by making a vital contribution to the community ahead of what will be a tough festive season for many.

"The economic hardship we're seeing is heart-breaking. Our kaupapa is a simple one – ‘whānau feeding whānau'.

"Our volunteers fill freezers in secondary schools with healthy kai for our rangatahi, their whānau and others in need. In some schools, students are also cooking meals for their Kura Kai freezer and gaining unit standards."

The new site features an easy-to-use ‘click to donate' structure that allow businesses or individuals to contribute to the work of Kura Kai with a variety of tax-deductible amounts from $100 (which could feed a whānau for a week), or $1000 (which could fill a freezer for a whole school term).

'No matter how large or small the donation we receive, funds go directly to assist in reaching rangatahi and whānau in need through resources such as food packaging, preparation equipment and freezers.”

General manager Marie Paterson emphasises the wider impact of the programme beyond filling empty stomachs.

'Contributions don't just support our rangatahi in times of struggle, they also help to start conversations that inspire positive change,” says Marie.

David Ngāheu, Rangatahi Mentor of Pāpāmoa College, has found that Kura Kai has been invaluable to their community, especially given the price of kai at the supermarkets.

"It's helped through my role at Pāpāmoa College to connect with whānau, as I have been able to take kai gifts to homes in the community to encourage whānau to engage their tamariki back into Kura. The packages have been well received and have made a difference."

Marie says Kura Kai is a vehicle for so much more than a plate of kai.

"We've made secondary schools our point of focus as keeping our rangatahi/youth in education at this level is increasingly more difficult.

"Whether we're providing them with a meal, giving them the chance to help others in the community, or helping them take pride in themselves, we're empowering our rangatahi with the value of manaakitanga (caring for others) and making the decision to stay in school a little easier."

For more information about donating to this initiative, see www.kurakai.co.nz/feed-our-cause/