Let’s look back on a successful and eventful year, with the hope that 2016 will be even better.
2015 was a challenging, but successful year for FoodBank South Africa. We managed to make the following impact
- The beneficiary organisations we support increased from 450 to 500.
- Those benefiting from the aid of our beneficiary organisations increased from 110 000 to 115 000 throughout South Africa.
- We managed to decrease the cost per meals from R1, 35 to R1, 19.
Virtual FoodBanking
Foodbank SA took sourcing and collection of food to a new level in 2015 when introducing Virtual FoodBanking in a bid to increase our reach and distribution. Through Virtual FoodBanking we are able to reach even more South Africans.
Virtual FoodBanking connects beneficiary organisations directly with the closest participating retail store. FoodBank SA can now reach outlying, remote and even rural areas, provided there are retail stores to provide us with the food. We hope to soon expand Virtual FoodBanking to include hotels and restaurants.
FoodBank SA Events
We had a successful Mandela Day in three cities across the country. The events took place in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. In Cape Town FoodBank SA introduced its first ready meal, which volunteers assisted in measuring out and packaging for distribution to our beneficiary organisation. The meal is a pre-packed nutritious, and cost effective briyani that was formulated exclusively for FoodBank SA. FoodBank SA hopes companies will consider supporting FoodBank SA and sponsoring delicious meal so we can provide it to our beneficiary organisations.
Spreading awareness
FoodBank SA was thrilled on getting Jenny Morris aka “The Giggling Gourmet” as one of its newest ambassadors. Jenny Morris is one of SA’s most beloved food personalities. She is a Food Network TV and Radio presenter, an author, magazine writer, celebrity chef, teacher and culinary tour guide. She’s had an ongoing love affair with food since a very young age, when she created mouth-watering treats for her schools fundraisers. It is exciting to have Jenny Morris as a FoodBank SA ambassador and we are grateful to her for volunteering her time and expertise in the fight against hunger in South Africa.
Helping hands
Glencore generously committed to supporting FoodBank SA for three more years. Their generous commitment will cover all of the operating costs of the FoodBank SA’s Rustenburg branch, providing food to 33 beneficiary organisations who serve 3000 people daily.
This partnership is part of Glencore’s commitment to make a difference through their Corporate Social Involvement programme. They aim to create sustainable value in their community and in society as a whole. The three year partnership is a renewal of a previous sponsorship. It comes at a time when hunger is a real problem in Rustenburg and surrounding areas.
World Food Day
The celebration of World Food Day on the 16 October happens every year. FoodBank SA ran a successful awareness campaign which ran from the 12-16 October. The campaign was aimed at raising awareness of the hunger in South Africa and showing the public how much impact a small donation can have. We had help from Pick n Pay, who made their stores available as drop-off points, as well as Checkers who ran a national food drive, matching every item donated by consumers.
Thank you
We would like to thank our partners, staff, ambassadors, beneficiary organisations, sponsors, and the public for your unwavering support. We are looking forward to having another amazing year in 2016. We promise this new year will be full of new partnerships, exciting campaigns, and events.