Metro aims to leave no one behind in hunger
Katlego Mathebe says it is important for the City to use all available resources to assist poverty-stricken Tshwane residents to put food on the table.
The Tshwane metro has donated farming equipment to a hospice in Atteridgeville to commemorate World Food Day.
World Food Day is commemorated on October 16, the date on which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation was founded in 1945.
Leratong Hospice is in Atteridgeville ext. 16 and is home to 18 patients from around Pretoria West, providing them with palliative care.
The social development and community services department recently donated food parcels to the hospice in honour of the day. Fruit and vegetable trees were also planted as part of the initiative.
The giveaway was attended by MMC Peggy de Bruin and MMC for environment and agriculture management, Katlego Mathebe, who recently said in a statement that in addition to the food parcels, the metro has also donated farming equipment to the hospice.
“To mark the day, the Tshwane metro worked with relevant stakeholders to provide several garden tools, vegetable seeds and other tools of trade to Leratong Hospice in Atteridgeville. The City believes that vegetable gardens can contribute positively to poverty alleviation and food security,” said Mathebe.
Mathebe states that this year’s theme – Leave no one Behind – was inspired by the factors that contributed to a large number of people experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition. Some of these factors include the residual effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, escalating fuel and food prices as well as the need for more nutritious food.
“As the theme suggests, it is important that the City uses all available resources to assist poverty-stricken Tshwane residents to put food on the table. In this regard, agriculture and natural resources have proven to have great potential to alleviate poverty.
“Often community and subsistence farming help to fight hunger, but there is sometimes a lack of resources and that is something we are addressing as the environment and agriculture management department,” Mathebe continued.
Mathebe advises destitute residents to use of the metro’s various social relief programmes brought forward by the community services and social development department such as the indigent programme and food bank. The indigent programme assists residents that are unable to afford municipal payments and the food bank, the qualifying poverty-stricken families and NGOs.
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