Fill Up Your Pantry With Local Goodies
A small business with a passion for all things local, Pantry Box is a familyowned affair that started operating a year ago in the Upper Highway area. “A couple of years ago I started delivering vegetables to friends,” says Debbie van Heerden. “The more we chatted, the more I realised how busy we are. I felt a need to help moms cope a little better with
Nutritional Food
everything life is throwing at us, and so Pantry Box was born.” As Debbie’s children were attending Winston Park Primary School at the time, they asked the school for permission
all available for moms to fetch when they picked up their children from school. “Unfortunately this part of the business didn’t really take off,” says Debbie. “We were thinking of closing it down when our country went into lockdown.” But seeing all their suppliers were already in place, they made the wise decision to change their business to an online home delivery service. “I love that we are able to help other small local businesses that cannot operate until level 1 of the lockdown – such as the granny who bakes
vegetables, kudu biltong and so much more.” Pantry Box also gives to our community. “We’ve started a Pay-It-Forward voucher, an opportunity for clients to give a voucher to someone who needs it. Clients can also contribute through us to the amazing work Nation Changers is doing feeding the poor.” FOR MORE INFO: 083 552 1808; www.pantrybox.co.za
{SUPPORT LOCAL} to place a container on their sports field. They then enlarged their product list to include hormone-free milk, chicken, pork and beef, sourdough bread and also included some home-made meals –
Operation Community Nutrition (OCN) is the brainchild of a group of friends passionate about nutrition and helping others. Over the last few months they have prepared 4 500 meals for orphanages in the Shongweni area and Valley of 1 000 Hills. Andre Rutishauser together with Matt and Kaz Wilson initiated the project during a time of great need, wanting to share their plant-based, highly nutritious meals with our surrounding rural communities. The vegetable and protein-rich meals are cooked in huge potjie pots over a slow fire in the traditional Zulu manner – with locally grown wild Superfoods and Moringa 5 000 added in, creating nextlevel nutrition and boosting the immune system. Based at the Hole in the Wall
all our rusks and the most delicious shortbread, or our supplier of ready-made meals,” says Debbie. “We have over 140 products on offer – from sauces to pizza bases, pestos, milk, butter, cheese, fresh
Pizzeria in Assagay, OCN have tactically partnered up with NPO Zero2Five – who identify creches and orphanages in the area who are in need, and help deliver the food. “We are in the process of setting up our own NPO called imiFino, and plan to grow this concept into something bigger – including food gardens. The ultimate goal is to empower those in need to be able to grow, harvest and prepare highly nutritious food for children and the elderly,” says Kaz. “The project could not have been possible without the local community donating and supporting this initiative with cash, vegetables, fruit, blankets and masks.Thank you!”
GET INVOLVED
FOR MORE INFO: 072 0843555; info@moontree.co.za; W @OperationCommunityNutrition
A U G - S E P T
2 0 2 0
5