The Kitchen, which has been operating in Wellington since 1899 and is based in Haining Street, provides breakfast and dinner to those in need, alongside access to computers, gardening, fishing and other purposeful activities that help create connection to the community.
Mayor Justin Lester, who presented the award, says Compassion Soup Kitchen and its volunteers are the lifeblood of our city.
“For more than 100 years Compassion Soup Kitchen has been supporting people to live with dignity in the community. This amazing group of people engage with some of our most vulnerable residents and give them a warm meal and a safe place to be.
They embody the best of the volunteer ethos and I am pleased we can recognise and shine a light on their efforts. Without volunteers, Wellington and New Zealand would be much poorer places."
Compassion Soup Kitchen will go on to represent Wellington City at the regional awards later this year and the winner of which will go onto the national Trustpower Awards in early 2019.
Wellington volunteer organisations also recognised for their invaluable contribution to the community include last night’s category winners: The Performance Arcade, Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, Ghost Fishing, Coastguard Wellington, and rising star group Quick Kai.
Wellington Airport Community Awards Manager Jo Maxwell says, "we are proud to celebrate the valuable contribution and diversity of community groups in the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards.”
“Congratulations to all the winners from the Wellington City region, especially Supreme Winner Compassion Soup Kitchen. For over a century they have provided support for people in need to live with dignity in the community, and their work is at the heart of Wellington’s strong volunteer spirit," she says.
The annual Community Awards celebrate volunteering and the contribution made by hundreds of people every year in and around Wellington – recognising those who are making a difference in our communities across the arts, heritage, and environment.
Wellington International Airport, Wellington Community Trust, and the five local councils come together for the awards every year, with nominations submitted by the public online for the categories. Judging panels select the council award winners who go on to be eligible for the regional awards.
The 2018 Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards were held at The Michael Fowler Centre in conjunction with the inaugural Wellington City Council Accessibility Awards.