When the organisation, FoodBank SA, was established almost 12 years ago, the idea was to make sure no food goes to waste. Today, the organisation feeds over 160 000 children, who without the help of this organisation, would go to bed hungry.

FoodForward SA is working hard to address widespread hunger faced by millions of people in South Africa.

The organisation (formerly FoodBank SA), established in 2009, collects food from retail shops, farmers, and growers that was not bought before it reaches its sell-by date then forwards it to community organisations, which then gets distributed to community members, especially children.

According to the organisation, more than 80% of the food collected from these shops, farmers, and growers is still in an edible state and is nutritious.

FoodForward SA said it supports 1,000 beneficiary organisations (BOs) across South Africa, of which 420 comprise OVC centres, ECD centres, and after-school care facilities.

“These organisations play a vital role in providing safe spaces for vulnerable and at-risk children. Through these BOs, FoodForward SA is able to reach 167,773 vulnerable and at-risk children daily,” said the organisation.

To address the impact Covid-19 had since it was announced in 2020, the organisation has come up with new ways of assisting struggling families.

In this case, patients who have compromised immune systems will benefit from the pilot project which aims to help patients in the Western Cape Province.

Teaming up with organisation called Feed the Nation Foundation and the Western Cape Department of Health, a pilot project that would support these patients has been launched.

In an interview with the Media Update, FoodFoward SA’s managing director Andy du Plessis said those eligible to receive food will be identified through a standardised referral system which will be sent to the department.

“Through a standardised referral system, selected nurses and dieticians will identify food-insecure patients and send a daily list to the Western Cape Department of Health. This list will be collated and sent to FoodForward South Africa once a week,” said Plessis.

These patients would have lost their ability to earn an income due to the lockdown restrictions which had a bad impact on the economy and people’s livelihoods.

More help needed to feed millions of hungry people in SA Even though the organisation is able to make sure that food reaches more than 160 000 vulnerable and at-risk children daily, more donations would be more than welcomed as more people are losing their jobs due to Covid-19.

FoodForward SA relies on corporate and individual partners to implement this cost-effective solution to address hunger and promote social change.

“Our mission is to reduce hunger in South Africa by safely and cost-effectively securing quality food, and making it available to those who need it,” said the organisation.

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Editor’s Note

Ending extreme poverty is within our reach, says the United Nations. But according to organisation the decline has slowed. What this organisation is doing, is to help eradicate hunger in poor communities in South Africa. By partnering up with companies including retailers, farmers, and growers, thousands of people have assurance on where the meal for the day will come from. The work done by the FoodFoward SA is beyond amazing especially during this rather difficult time where struggling families are uncertain about where the next meal will come from.

Thato Mahlangu
Editor