FoodForward SA celebrates World Food Day by packing hope in Kempton Park

FoodForward SA, its beneficiaries and partners celebrated World Food Day with a packing event on October 16 at its warehouse in Kempton Park.

FoodForward SA demonstrated to its partners and beneficiaries how food parcels are packed and involved everyone in the process.
FoodForward SA is the only registered food bank in South Africa and the largest in Africa.

They have a ‘foodprint’ across all nine provinces and rescue surplus food from within the supply chain – from farms, manufacturers, and retailers.

FoodForward SA collects surplus, edible, and nutritious food, brings it into its warehouses, processes it, and then distributes it.

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They have a network of 2 500 registered beneficiary organisations across the country and feed about a million daily.

FoodForward SA fund development manager, Bobby Jacobs, shared that they aimed to package at least 1 000 boxes during World Food Day.

“We want to show the donors and beneficiaries that it is fresh, nutritious food – the same food that you would get in the grocery store.

“Each food box weighs about 20kg to 30kg and has bulk groceries,” Jacobs said.

For FoodForward SA, World Food Day is not just a date on the calendar, but a powerful opportunity to be part of the solution for its beneficiaries.

Every year, about 10 million tonnes of food are wasted in South Africa, yet millions still go to bed hungry.

This is a crisis that demands awareness and action. FoodForward SA, together with its donors, is committed to being part of the solution for its beneficiaries.

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The event was a movement bringing together volunteers, partners, donors, and beneficiary organisations to pack nutritious food boxes that will be distributed across FoodForward SA’s national network.

The attendees received instructions on how to assemble and pack the food boxes and the importance of taking specific actions in packaging the boxes, such as putting a defacing sticker on the barcode to prevent the items from being resold.

A checklist ensured that all boxes contained the same items.

The last task was for the packers to write a message for the person receiving the food box.

After the guests packed the boxes, FoodForward SA prepared a cooked meal, using the same ingredients in the boxes.

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FoodForward SA beneficiary organisation, Shalom Children Ministries founder, Juanita van Zyl, said she was grateful for what FoodForward SA did for her organisation.

“I am glad that I could be part of this day. This means a lot to us because they give food, and that changed our lives,” van Zyl said.

“We wanted to celebrate World Food Day. It is a global call for collaboration in creating a peaceful, sustainable, and prosperous food security for now and in the future.

“It is a co-pillar of what Kellanova embodies as well as our Better Days Promise agenda.

“Better Days for us is about ensuring that all South Africans have a place at the table and also that we are improving people’s lives through our food,” Kellanova corporate affairs director, Zandile Mposelwa, said.

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“Spar has a long-standing relationship with FoodForward SA. We must play our part in our communities through projects and initiatives such as this.

“We can uplift our communities by coming here today, packing these hampers, being a part of it and giving back to our communities,” Spar Group HR practitioner, Terese Ontong, said.