There were many big events in 2021 that cemented our purpose of ending hunger. Three that stood out as milestones were the massive emergency relief provided to KZN after the riots, the launch of our #UnionAgainstHunger campaign and the establishment of our farm to fork ventures. These three gamechangers bring together our pillars of Food Rescue, Technology and Systemic Intervention in perfect symmetry.
KZN relief
The attacks and rioting in KZN left thousands destitute. Relief flooded into SA Harvest and thanks to the support of food donors and monetary support for logistics, we were able to respond immediately, tackling the fact that demand increased tenfold.
Key facts:
- 10 weeks of dedicated, extraordinary support
- Based in a 1,000m² marquee at Kings Park Stadium, increased to 1,500m²
- Employed a casual team of 10 staff working 8 to 15 hours a day
- Two permanent forklifts and drivers, plus two additional forklifts on standby
- Received more than 50 interlink trucks of food – totaling over 1,600 pallets
- Assisted more than140 communities
- Distributed across 300kms (as far as Mthatha)
- Total volume of food delivered – 661,020kg
- Total average weekly meals – 220 340
Launch of #UnionAgainstHunger
Through systemic intervention and the power of collective action and united voices we believe it is possible to end hunger. The Union Against Hunger campaign, which launched on Mandela Day across all our digital platforms, is a visual petition that advocates for policy changes to address the injustice of hunger in South Africa.
Hunger is a problem that was systemically created and will require systemic change to solve. To end hunger we need awareness, advocacy, and action. Be an advocate today, join the UnionAgainstHunger: http://saharvest.org.za/unionagainsthunger/.
From farm to fork
At SA Harvest, we believe every South African has the right not just to food, as entrenched in Section 27 of the Constitution – but to nutritious food. Delivering nourishing, balanced baskets of food has always been at the very foundation of our ethos.
The generosity of farmers and our partnership with HelloChoice through Standard Bank’s OneFarm Share programme has allowed us to amplify our nutritional impact in what we receive from our food donors to create a more balanced plate for our beneficiaries.
We were humbled and grateful to farm donors who have donated to SA Harvest in abundance throughout 2021:
- Standard Bank OneFarm Share (delivered through HelloChoice) – 1 505 976 kg
- McCain – 34 040 kg
- Graaff Fruit – 30 866 kg
- Morester Landgoed – 21 329 kg
- Rennie Farms – 12 244 kg
- ALG Boerdery – 11 969 kg
- Cape Mushrooms – 7 686 kg
- Denny Mushrooms – 7 000 kg
- Dennegeur Farms – 5 360 kg