University of Otago club Student Life ran a student help programme delivering goods to students in isolation.
Team leader Dre Niehaus said the group wanted to keep interacting with students as it normally did, but Covid-19 posed a problem.
The group brainstormed ideas for a "practical way to show care for people".
The result was Scarfie Care, a care package delivery service that ended up helping out over 400 students across 80 flats.
About half of the food for the project came out of the club’s pockets, but the group had approached local businesses, who were happy to give meat and baked goods.
The aim was to provide the bare basics, with a few treats to keep spirits high, he said.
To make sure they were hitting the mark, the group spoke to each flat individually and asked if there was anything specific they were craving.
Some students were dying for a cheese toastie, while others wanted to sate their sweet tooth with chocolate.
The project ran for about two weeks, but now the outbreak had died down it was "great not to be needed" in this type of situation.
