R750. Four people. Four weeks. One bucket.
For some South African households, the school holidays bring more than a change in routine.
Meals accessed through schools, ECD centres and community networks can form an important part of a household’s food access. When those routines pause over the holidays, keeping enough food in the home can become harder.
The gap is predictable.
That means we can plan for it.
R750 can fund one SA Harvest School Holiday Bucket, designed to support a family of four for four weeks.
A simple action. A whole system behind it.
A bucket may be what you see.
Making it useful takes much more.
Food has to be sourced. Contents have to be checked and packed. Stock needs to be stored. Warehouses, vehicles, routes and delivery schedules need to work. Community partners need to know what is coming, when it is arriving and how it will move safely into households.
That is the work SA Harvest already does.
Your contribution moves through an established food-access system built around procurement and sourcing, packing, warehousing, logistics and trusted community-based organisations.
The bucket gives you a practical way to take part in that system.
You fund it. SA Harvest makes sure it moves.
Why the school holidays matter
School holidays can interrupt children’s regular access to food. By planning early, SA Harvest can source, pack and distribute food before the holiday gap begins.
Food access does not suddenly become a problem in December.
For households already managing tight budgets and uncertain access to food, a predictable change in routine can create additional pressure.
School and ECD closures can remove one of the places where children regularly access food. Household expenses continue. Food still needs to be available every day.
Because the holiday period arrives at the same time each year, we have an opportunity to prepare before the gap opens.
The School Holiday Food Access Campaign is designed to do exactly that: mobilise public support early enough for food to be sourced, packed and distributed through SA Harvest’s community network before the holiday period.
What does R750 do?
R750 funds one complete School Holiday Bucket. You can also contribute any amount towards SA Harvest’s school holiday food response.
R750 funds one complete School Holiday Bucket.
The campaign has been designed around one clear participation unit so that you know what your contribution is helping to put into motion.
You can also take part at another level:
R150 – contribute towards a bucket
R375 – fund half a bucket
R750 – fund one complete bucket
R1,500 – fund two buckets
Any amount – contribute what works for you
Every contribution towards the campaign is pooled to help fund the School Holiday Bucket response.
From your contribution to a family
Every contribution moves through a coordinated system of sourcing, packing, storage, transport, community partnerships and reporting before reaching a family.
A contribution only becomes useful when the system around it works.
1. Source – SA Harvest coordinates the food and products required for the campaign through its procurement and partner network.
2. Pack – Buckets are assembled and checked so that the campaign promise can be delivered consistently.
3. Store – SA Harvest’s warehousing infrastructure allows food to be managed before dispatch.
4. Move – Vehicles, drivers, route planning and operational coordination move the buckets to the right places at the right time.
5. Connect – Trusted CBOs and community partners provide the local knowledge and last-mile infrastructure needed to reach households responsibly.
6. Report – Campaign funds, packing, movement and distribution are tracked so supporters can see what their participation enabled.
Food access depends on all six.
Community organisations make the last mile work
Trusted community organisations provide the local knowledge and established networks that help SA Harvest distribute food responsibly to households.
SA Harvest does not arrive in communities as if no system already exists.
Across South Africa, community-based organisations, kitchens and local networks are doing the daily work of understanding their communities and responding to local needs.
They are partners in the food-access system.
Their knowledge helps SA Harvest coordinate distribution where there is established capacity and a responsible route for food to reach households.
National logistics only create impact when the last mile works.
One bucket is a beginning
One contribution can begin something bigger. Fund a bucket, contribute towards one or share the campaign to help SA Harvest prepare before the school holidays.
You do not need to solve South Africa’s hunger challenge on your own.
You can help one useful action move through a system built to make it count.
Fund a bucket.
Contribute towards one.
Fund two.
Share the campaign with someone who may want to join you.
Or ask your workplace to turn individual contributions into something bigger.
School holidays shouldn’t mean hunger.
And because we know they are coming, we can act before they begin.
Want to get your workplace involved?
A company can do more than make a once-off contribution.
Businesses can help extend the campaign through employee giving, campaign amplification, product support and – where formally agreed – matched giving.
For companies, this is a practical way to connect employee participation with a governed national food-access response.
TALK TO SA HARVEST ABOUT WORKPLACE PARTICIPATION – buckets@saharvest.org
Frequently asked questions
What is a School Holiday Bucket?
It is the tangible participation unit for SA Harvest’s 2026 School Holiday Food Access Campaign. Contributions fund the campaign response, including the food bucket and the operational system required to source, pack, store, move and coordinate its distribution.
Does SA Harvest usually distribute food buckets?
Food rescue remains central to SA Harvest’s wider work.
This campaign uses a defined bucket because it gives the public a clear way to participate in a specific, time-bound school-holiday response. It does not redefine SA Harvest’s broader food-rescue model.
SA Harvest’s everyday work is about connecting suitable surplus food with community-based organisations through the logistics, warehousing and coordination infrastructure required to make redistribution work.
How are the buckets distributed?
SA Harvest coordinates distribution through trusted community partners, subject to operational capacity and confirmed allocation.
These organisations are part of the last-mile infrastructure of food access: they understand their communities and provide an established route for support to reach households responsibly.
Can I contribute less than R750?
Yes.
You can contribute towards a bucket with R150, fund half with R375, fund a complete bucket with R750, fund two with R1,500, or choose another amount.
Can I fund more than one bucket?
Absolutely. You can select a higher contribution or choose a custom amount.
Can my company participate?
Yes. Companies may be able to support the campaign through employee giving, product contributions, amplification or other agreed partnership mechanisms.
Will I receive a Section 18A certificate?
Yes. After making your payment, email your proof of payment to buckets@saharvest.org and request a Section 18A certificate. SA Harvest will respond with the next steps and request any information required to issue the certificate.
What happens after I contribute?
You should receive confirmation of your contribution. As the campaign progresses, SA Harvest will share verified evidence of the work behind it – from packing and warehousing to dispatch and distribution – so supporters can see how public participation moved through the system.
R750 can fund one School Holiday Bucket designed to support four people for four weeks. Help SA Harvest prepare before the holidays begin.
R750. Four people. Four weeks. One bucket.
The need is predictable.
So is the opportunity to prepare for it.
Help SA Harvest source it, pack it, move it and connect it to the community infrastructure ready to put it to use.