Everybody Eats has been named Supreme Award winners at the 2023 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards. The restaurant is a charitable dining concept on a mission to reduce food waste, food poverty and social isolation in Aotearoa.
Volunteers have helped Everybody Eats to transform rescued food into Three-course set menu dinners, which are served at their restaurants on a koha basis. At Everybody Eats, they want to feed bellies, not bins and bring people together over good food.
Jack Rainey, Everybody Eats Wellington Restaurant Manager, said it was truly humbling to receive the supreme award.
“This goes out to all our diners, volunteers and wider team. It takes a village to feed a community, and we have an amazing village behind us. Nga mihi nui koutou.”
Matt Clarke, Chief Executive of Wellington Airport, said choosing a Supreme Award winner was a tough job for the judges this year, as usual.
"Everybody Eats innovative dining concept is not only reducing food waste but also bringing the community together, supported by a passionate volunteer team.”
Wellington Airport has also awarded five local high school students $1,000 scholarships in the annual Wild at Heart Spirit Awards. These winners demonstrate self-motivation in service to their community and college.c
Every year Wellington Airport and the five local councils come together to recognise the work carried out by community groups in the wider Wellington region. The focus of the awards is to celebrate volunteers for their valuable contribution to society. This year marked the 19th anniversary of the awards.
The awards start with Wellington’s five councils awarding volunteer organisations in their local community under the following categories: Art and Culture, Education and Child and Youth Development, Health and Wellbeing, Heritage and Environment, Sport and Leisure, plus a Rising Star Award for emerging groups.
The finalists from each region then go forward to the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards for the overall award in their category, and the opportunity to be named Supreme Winner.
