It ran from 10am to 12pm.
It was the fourth community day, serving up free hot meals, barista coffee, clothing, shoes, blankets, and other essentials – plus a listening ear.
The day was aimed at those experiencing financial hardship, homelessness, loneliness, or anyone simply needing a helping hand.
“Over the month, we would have served probably over 200 people,” Stairmand said.
Stairmand said people loved coming, as the day provided a place to sit, talk and share – which was “equally as important” as providing essentials.
“People can share their burdens or just talk about whatever’s on their mind and have some connection”.
It was a time to remind those needing some hope and connection that there were people who cared, Stairmand said.
Temaia Bennett, Jessica Flood, Belinda Bennett, Nataria Rolleston and Lauren Stairmand are part of the team behind Rotorua’s Community Days, which provide hot meals, clothing and support for people facing hardship.
She said providing that “safe space” was what set Saturday Community Days apart from some other charities.
They also weren’t serving up just any meal. It was “good quality food, prepared with love”.
Stairmand’s husband, Lyall, spent Friday nights slow-cooking meat and simmering big pots of soup before taking over the barbecue the next morning.
Pulled pork, brisket and bacon hock soup had featured on the menu.
Barista-made coffees were made at the hub’s cafe.
“We thought that would both warm up people and also be a bit of a treat,” Stairmand said.
Stairmand said demand for the service was high.
The one Saturday the group took off last month, “a lot” of people were left waiting outside the hub, she said.
Stairmand said they were looking at ways to better communicate with regular attendees, as many of them did not have phones.
Only a handful of volunteers were behind the operation, so the group scheduled one weekend off each month to spend time with their families and recharge, she said.
Stairmand said they were a “bunch of busy people” and hosting the events was “quite a lot of work” alongside fulltime work, homeschooling and other trust commitments.
Lyall Stairmand (left) and son Kayden lead the sausage sizzle at one of Rotorua’s Community Days, where volunteers serve hot meals, warm clothing and support to people.
Throughout the week, they were collecting donations, contacting businesses for support and organising clothing and supplies. They start early on Saturdays to set everything up.
The initiative relied heavily on community support.
Otonga Road Primary School donated items for children, while other businesses and organisations had contributed food and supplies.
As demand continued to grow, the trust launched a Givealittle page to help cover costs of hosting the day, such as purchasing food.
They were also calling for the help of local businesses and for volunteers.
People could leave items at the Wellness Hub or get in touch through the Cornerstone Charitable Trust’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Stairmand said they could arrange to collect anything being offered.
“It would definitely help us continue, but we will continue regardless.”
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.