A group of men from Bay of Plenty, who support community projects and men’s welfare, have been busy building a pantry and a water play table for a local school. The men are part of a group called Te Puke Menz Shed and they built these items for Otamarakau School last month. It took them three weeks to complete both projects.
The pantry and water play table were painted in the school’s colors, blue and yellow. They were built using a $500 grant from the Menz Shed, while the school covered the cost of the table and other materials.
Mike Harman, the president of Menz Shed, says that both projects are beneficial for the students and the wider community in Te Puke. The water table encourages children to play together and learn how to share. The pantry, on the other hand, is for people who have extra food in their gardens or other items to share with the community.
The idea for the water play table came from the deputy principal of Otamarakau School, Fleur Robinson. She asked the Menz Shed for help in designing and building it. The students now play with it every day and enjoy building filtering and drainage structures with the water.
The pantry was not part of the original plan, but Robinson asked the Menz Shed to build one during the construction process. She says that both the pantry and the water table are used every day at the school. They provide a place to share and care for each other.
The Menz Shed is a workshop for men over 60 to work on projects that benefit themselves and the wider community. The organization promotes friendship, health and wellbeing, and men’s welfare.
