A corporate sponsor donates 739kg of food comprising condiments, pasta, cooking oil and canned food to FoodForward.
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oodForward SA is a nonprofit organisation that works with supply chains of retailers, wholesalers and farms to recover food that these businesses consider surplus and is destined for the rubbish bin. The organisation collects and distributes this surplus food to needy people daily. Before COVID-19 struck, the organisation was feeding 255 000 people daily, but has since had to scale-up operations to feed 455 000 people daily, due to the high demand brought about the pandemic-related lockdown. FoodForward SA sifts out good quality food from the surplus and, working with 1 000 beneficiary organisations, distributes
WASTE NOT, SURPLUS FOOD WANTED it to old-age homes, after-school facilities, community creches, soup kitchens, shelters and skills development centres countrywide. FoodForward fund manager Deidre Adams says that since ramping up operations to meet the increased demand for the provision of daily meals, the food it sources is not enough and the organisation is forced to buy extra provisions at great cost. The organisation’s work is supported by donations from corporates, foundations, trusts and individuals – both local and international. “Many of the large banks have donated funds as part of their COVID-19 contribution,” Adams says.
CALL TO ACTION “We are issuing a call to action to retailers, wholesalers, and especially food manufacturers and farmers to please donate surplus edibles to the organisation. We provide all our donors with Section 18a tax certificates and save them the costs of having to dump their surplus food. By donating to us, they will also be assured that their food is being used to feed vulnerable people across the country,” says FoodForward SA’s Deirdre Adams.
FOREIGN MONEY GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED
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COVID-19 relief donation of R100-million from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has enabled the City of Cape Town to assist those in need during lockdown. In September, the city announced the donation made via the KfW German Development Bank, saying it would bolster its COVID-19 humanitarian relief efforts. Throughout lockdown, the city has been supporting some 200 soup kitchens. “We have seen how devastating the impact of the national lockdown has been on many of our residents who have lost jobs and are unable to provide for their families. “We have worked throughout the lockdown to support soup kitchens with equipment and ingredients so that they can provide a warm meal to residents in need. However, we are noticing that many of our residents still need assistance with food,” says Dan Plato, executive mayor.
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“I am extremely grateful for the R100-million funding because I know just how many residents this is going to benefit,” Plato says. The funds will enable the city to provide staff and learners at early childhood development centres and their families, and residents involved in community food gardens with 25 000 food vouchers per month for three months. The funds will also help to support soup kitchens in Hanover Park, Manenberg, Nyanga, Gugulethu and areas of Khayelitsha. “We are in this together. This is about solidarity with the most affected to inspire hope and give comfort. And it is about strengthening local communities and those who care for their families, friends and neighbours. In the spirit of ubuntu, we want to contribute to the wave of solidarity,” explains German Ambassador Martin Schäfer.
FoodFoward SA is asking for more donations of surplus food to meet increasing demand, reports CAIPHUS KGOSANA
FOODFOWARD SA USES A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO ADDRESS HUNGER • Warehouse food-banking: beneficiary organisations go to their respective warehouses once a month to collect their food hampers. • FoodShare: connects beneficiary organisations virtually to the nearest Pick n Pay or Food Lovers Market where they can collect surplus food more frequently at food store level. • Mobile Rural Depot programme: addresses rural food security. Through this programme, FoodForward SA provides meals to just over 60 000 people in rural communities via monthly food hampers. • Second Harvest: a programme whereby FoodForward SA connect with farmers and collects their surplus produce. About 50 per cent of all produce on farms is wasted, so the organisation provides an environmentally-friendly solution to farmers by recovering their good quality surplus produce to feed the vulnerable. • Large-scale feeding programmes: provide nutritious breakfast cereals and milk to children in creches, primary and secondary schools, in partnership with various corporates. FoodForward SA also runs a supply chain youth internship programme that provides unemployed graduates with SETA-accredited training in warehousing and logistics. The organisation has warehouses in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Rustenburg and Johannesburg. “However, we have a national footprint and serve all nine provinces. We distribute food using inter-branch transfers to the Northern Cape, Free State, Limpopo and Mpumalanga,” says Adams.
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