Metallica’s charitable foundation, All Within My Hands (AWMH), teamed up with Meet the Need on Wednesday, November 19 for a one-of-a-kind volunteer food packing event held at the New Zealand Food Network warehouse in Auckland.
A total of 50 volunteers travelled from far and wide to take part, including one hard-core Metallica fan who made the journey all the way from New Jersey, USA. They were joined by the team from Meet the Need, ambassador Ben Purua, and Fonterra – who proudly supported the event, along with special guests Sir Michael Jones and his wife Maliena from The Village Community Services Trust.
Together, volunteers packed 1,022 food parcels, totalling 12,877kg (12.8 tonnes) of food – transforming the generosity of Kiwis into essential support for families facing hardship across the country.
The event highlighted the combined power of global philanthropy and local grassroots action.
“Seeing Metallica fans, Kiwi farmers, and community leaders standing shoulder to shoulder to help feed Aotearoa was incredibly moving,” says Zellara Holden, General Manager of Meet the Need.
“Meet the Need’s mission is to make sure no one goes hungry in Aotearoa, ensuring nutritous quality protein reaches communities who need it the most. Today showed just how much impact is possible when passionate people come together. We’re deeply grateful to All Within My Hands and CNH, Case IH for helping bring this to life.”
New Zealand Food Network plays a pivotal role in distribution of the food parcels across the country. New Zealand Food Network CEO, Gavin Findlay, says the organisation was proud to play host to such a meaningful collaboration.
“We’re honoured to welcome Meet the Need, AWMH, Sir Michael Jones, and the Metallica fan volunteers into our space,” says Findlay. “Our mission is to ensure nutritious, quality food reaches the communities who need it most, and today’s event perfectly reflects that purpose. We know from our Food Hubs that pantry staples like meat and milk are highly sought after, so this is a prime example of how collaboration between organisations can create real impact for whānau across the country.”
The opportunity was made possible by Meet the Need partner CNH, who nominated Meet the Need as Metallica’s official charity partner for AWMH’s New Zealand activation, aligning their shared mission to tackle hunger and support resilient communities.
Meet the Need is a farmer-founded charity that sources donated meat and milk from Kiwi farmers and redistributes it through foodbanks and community organisations nationwide. Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation, established in 2017, continues to champion hunger relief, education, and community resilience around the world.
