Above: The Child Cancer Foundation CEO Monica Briggs and Mr Grocer founder Astin Parore.

Mr Grocer, the company behind the CarryBuddy – a tool to help carry loads of groceries – has announced a partnership with the Child Cancer Foundation.

Together, they are launching a new charity grocery bag to help fund essential support for families.

Available online and in New World stores across the motu, 50 cents from each Child Cancer Foundation bag goes directly to support families facing childhood cancer.

The bag will sit alongside three other Mr Grocer designs.

A personal connection

For a year and a half, Mr Grocer founder Astin Parore worked at New World delivering groceries to the Foundation’s offices. Staff would then take the food up to the hospital wards for families whose children were undergoing cancer treatment.

Mr Grocer founder Astin Parore carrying groceries with the CarryBuddy.

“This year, the need is greater than ever,” says Monica Briggs, CEO of the Child Cancer Foundation. “With food inflation hitting families hard, and our referrals up 20% in 2025, those grocery bags and food vouchers are not luxuries – they are crucial relief.

“Astin’s dedication is wonderful because he truly understands that this partnership directly relieves financial and emotional pressure on parents fighting the biggest battle of their lives,” she adds.

Celebrate tamariki

In the last year, Child Cancer Foundation has spent $103,974 on kai delivered to families, a 25% increase on the previous two years. 

The Foundation also spent $12,914 on frozen meals, fresh fruit and snacks for the parents and whanau on the hospital wards, which has had a similar percentage increase as groceries from prior years. 

The frozen meals are sent up to Starship Hospital and are housed in a freezer the Foundation purchased as the families often can’t leave to get food.

Parore says partnering with Child Cancer Foundation was a “no-brainer,” thanks to what he’d seen of their work firsthand.

After the June fire at Victoria Park New World, he voluntarily left his food delivery role, freeing up time to focus on the project. He hopes to return to New World next year.

“For a year and a half, I delivered groceries to the Child Cancer Foundation team and saw firsthand their sheer commitment to those families,” Parore says. “I knew then I wanted to create something durable, useful and with a design that represents the strength of the families going through a childhood cancer journey. We’ve designed the bags to celebrate tamariki in New Zealand, ensuring every purchase directly impacts the lives of children with cancer.”

To purchase the bag online and for more information, head to https://www.mrgrocer.co.nz › products › eco-child-cancer-foundation-bag

To make a donation to Child Cancer Foundation, visit childcancer.org.nz/donate/