Introducing a new blog series by Jack Rainey, our Restaurant Manager at Everybody Eats Wellington. Jack shares stories from the front line of hospitality—real moments, real people, and the everyday power of food to connect, uplift, and nourish. It’s an honest reflection of who we are and what we do.

One year ago, Everybody Eats Wellington took a purposeful step forward that quietly changed how we operate. With the help of the Meridian Decarbonisation Community Fund and a solid deal from the good folks at EkeRua ReBike, we added our first electric van to the Wellington restaurant.

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This LDV eDeliver 3 had already clocked around 13,700 kms when it joined us, but since then it’s travelled over 23,000 km around the city, rescuing more than 12 tonnes of food that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Every trip our van makes has purpose. Most often, it begins with collecting rescued food from our long-time partners Kaibosh (both in the city & Hutt), or heading as far as Grenada to KCA & MG Marketing, bringing kai back to our restaurant four to five days a week.

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We also share food we cannot use on our menu with community groups like Compassion Kitchen, Te Pa Pouri and DCM, ensuring items such as milk, bagels, or heat-and-eat meals go straight to people who can enjoy them immediately and with dignity.
As our social enterprise grows, the van is also out delivering catering and event orders, helping us share our food with businesses and organisations.

Reliable and sustainable, it’s now a vital link between good food, good people, and our commitment of kaitiakitanga to the environment.

Our van is so much more than a way to move food, it’s a link between every part of our mahi and kaupapa. From collecting rescued kai to delivering meals, catering for events, and sharing surplus food with community groups, it helps us connect people with good food every day. Thanks to our wonderful partnership with the Sustainability Trust, the van is also part of other important community projects. We park and charge it at their facility, and on days we’re not using it, Te Aro Waste and Wellington Curtain Bank put it to work delivering curtains, supporting waste minimisation, and helping with other local initiatives.

Every kilometre travelled is powered by the generosity and commitment of our partners, supporters, and volunteers, all working together to make sure no good food goes to waste and more people have access to a meal when they need it. Our electric van may be just one part of this network, but it’s a vital one, helping us reach further and stay true to our values. We’re excited to see where it takes us in the years ahead as we keep building community and a more sustainable food system for everyone.

Lessons from the Front Line of Kindness

Our electric van shows how small, everyday actions can connect people and build a stronger, kinder community while rescuing food from landfill and caring for the environment.