In New Zealand, gang makes sandwiches for hungry school kids

Every school day, Tribal Huk gang members whip up 450 to 500 sandwiches for hungry schoolchildren in Waikato, New Zealand.

"When I was little we had no food," Jamie Pink, the president of the gang, told the Waikato Times, “so I grew up a hungry little bugger and a bit angry, too.

"The main reason we’re doing this is because there’s a lot of hungry kids out there and it means a lot to be able to fill their little bellies up."

The Tribal Huks have been delivering sandwiches for two and half years – and haven’t missed a single day.

"There’s no stopping," said Pink. “There’s no, ‘Oh, I don’t feel well today, we’re not coming in.’ Nah, it don’t work like that. No way, no way. Because then you’d get that nightmare that those kids might not have been fed that day. Oh, that’s enough to keep you going.”

The gang leases about 50 acres of farmland and own about 50 cows, 70 sheep and 100 pigs. Some of the meat for the sandwiches comes from the farms, and the rest is funded from selling stock, a monthly raffle, and gang members’ donations. They also grow tomatoes and lettuce when they can.

Huntly West Principal Banapa Avatea said that all of the sandwiches dropped off at his school are quickly snatched up by hungry kids.

"I couldn’t believe that anyone would bring 30, 40, 50 sandwiches without wanting anything back. He’s doing everything he can to feed the Waikato," Avatea said of Pink and his gang members.

"Take away the word gang and you get to the heart of what the matter is about and it’s about caring for the community. I think any collective group whose idea is about helping others, whatever the organization, is going to make a difference."

When the Tribal Huks’ generosity made headlines, people stepped up, offering to help. According to the Waikato Times, offers poured in to grow veggie gardens, send honey, avocados, margarine, eggs, books and money.

"I wanna say thank you so much for the support. I’m not sayin’ we’re angels and that, but we’re not bad people. We didn’t expect this," Pink said.

Pink hopes that the sandwiches will help give kids better opportunities than he had:

"Hopefully they gonna grow up to be decent citizens – doctors and lawyers. But they not gonna grow up properly if they don’t get a feed.”