© 2026 Love Soup Charitable Trust. All rights reserved.
About Love Soup
Love Soup started with one person’s dream to help others.
What began as a desire to feed people who were hungry has grown into a volunteer-powered food rescue charity helping communities across the North Island.
OUR STORY
From one person's dream to a community of people helping people.
Long before Love Soup existed, founder Julie King had a dream of helping people who were hungry and without a home.
Life didn’t always take a straight path towards that dream. Julie went through an incredibly difficult period in her own life, one that challenged her sense of hope, purpose and self-worth.
Coming through that experience gave her a renewed understanding of how important it is to feel supported, valued and connected to others.
And from that came a purpose.
2013
Julie turned the dream she had carried since childhood into Love Soup.
The idea was simple: feed people in mind, body and spirit, treat everyone with dignity, and create a place where people help one another without judgement.
Love Soup Charitable Trust is now a registered New Zealand charity, supported by volunteers, local businesses and community partners.
Hear the Love Soup story
Want to know what Love Soup is really about?
Hear it from the people who make it happen.
What Love Soup has become
Good food. Good people. Stronger communities.
Today, Love Soup rescues quality surplus food and redirects it to people and organisations that can use it.
Volunteer teams collect food from supermarkets, suppliers and local businesses, sort it with care and share it through community pantries, food banks and other community organisations.
It means good food stays out of landfill and reaches local tables instead.
What matters to us
Dignity
Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Support is offered without judgement.
Community
Love Soup works alongside food donors, businesses, charities and community organisations because we can achieve more together.
Purpose
Food has the power to do more than fill a plate. It can bring people together, reduce waste and help someone through a difficult time.
Meet the people behind Love Soup
Meet The Team
Love Soup is powered by people who give their time, energy and experience to help their communities.
“Everyone has value, and together we can achieve so much more.”
Julie KingFounder
Julie King
Founder
Tracey Hoey
Hibiscus Coast Manager
Maggie Chan
Hibiscus Coast Admin
Melanie Jack
Hibiscus Coast Food Bank
Sue Gurr
Hibiscus Coast Fundraising Manager
Rosemary Poi
Rotorua Events Coordinator
Jendy Nathan
Tokoroa Manager
Simon King
Rotorua Manager
Caroline Holgate
Social Media & Events
There’s a place for you at the table.
Give your time. Donate food. Support a local community. Partner with us as a business. However you choose to help, it all adds up.