EVATON. – 72-year-old Matshidiso Lakaka was moved to start a food garden by the poverty in the community of Evaton, near Vereeniging in 2008. She and three other local pensioners now tend to Bethele Garden Project on the premises of Letsema Ilima Primary School.

Matshidiso is happy that the Shoprite Group recently joined forces with their project, “We partnered with Shoprite in April this year and have already received compost, mulch and vegetable seedlings.”

Bethele Garden Project grows vegetables like spinach, beetroot, cabbage and carrots. Some of the produce harvested by the project is used to supplement the Letsema Ilima Primary School feeding scheme in return for the use of their land and other produce is donated to four pre-schools in the area. Matshidiso says the remaining vegetables are sold to community members to generate a small income for the four project members.

She is delighted that Shoprite’s training workshops have started, “I really want people from my community to come and learn more about what it takes to have their own food garden. I’d like to see more people get interested in gardening for food.”

As part of Shoprite’s ongoing commitment to supporting food security at a community level the group will install a rainwater harvesting system at Bethele Garden Project. There are also plans for Shoprite to provide support to another local food garden, Balimi Bohle, as a satellite garden.

Matshidiso is also proud to be involved in the school’s environmental club, where the school children assist with the maintenance of the food garden and learn about keeping their environment clean. She says, “We teach the children about nature and we even encourage them to take up traditional crafting, like beading.”

The active grandmother quips, “I am 72 and I am here and still going strong. I like to be able to help my community and enjoy working in the garden every day.”

Shoprite has helped to uplift 136 communities through partnering with food gardens like Bethele Garden Project, since 2015.