Food parcels fill tummies at Inchanga Primary

THE atmosphere at Inchanga Primary School was charged with excitement recently when food hampers were donated to help many of the children who arrive at school on empty stomachs.

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School head of department (HOD), Nomfundo Zungu said they were grateful for the donation as the sight of children becoming restless and losing their concentration because of hunger was becoming a painful one.

The donation of food hampers forms part of Pick n Pay’s latest initiative, Feed the Nation, to support child-headed households as many begin to face the aftermath of the pandemic. From the 1 000 learners at the school, Zungu said that more than 300 are from child-headed households.

“This is a poor community, the food parcels donated by Pick n Pay will help the families. Our children won’t be restless in the morning as the parcels also include cereals.

“It is so sad that many learners arrive on an empty stomach and have to wait for break time to get their first meal supplied by the school’s nutrition programme,” explained Zungu.

Each food hamper, valued at over R500, contains essential grocery items such as maize meal, rice, soup, flour, salt and soap, as well as fresh vegetables, and is expected to provide food support for a family of four for up to one month.

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With the support of other suppliers, who donated additional items, each hamper delivered to the school was valued at over R700.

Transformation director at Pick n Pay, Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, said the need to support vulnerable families is greater now than at the start of the pandemic earlier this year.

“We are now dealing with the economic aftermath of this pandemic as many parents have lost their jobs and are battling to support their households.

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting