Zee Mapoma, Emilia-Isabel Ronald, Annika Lenz, Eva-Marie Sackenheim and Margolite Williams
The Berlin team of students with SA Harvest team members, visiting a donor in Paarl.
SA Harvest doesn’t just move food.We move people. That’s exactly what happened when three social impact students from Berlin joined our Cape Town team this April.
As part of a university assignment focused on social innovation, the trio chose to spend a month volunteering with us, immersing themselves in our mission: to end hunger in South Africa by rescuing nutritious surplus food and delivering it with dignity.
But what they walked away with,and what they left behind, was more than just academic insight.
The reality behind the rescue
When they arrived, they had data. By the time they left, they had stories.
Their first few days included visits to a range of our beneficiary organisations: Early Childhood Development centres, community kitchens, safe havens for vulnerable adults, and care centres for the sick. Each visit was a window into the lived experience of hunger in South Africa.
For our Berlin visitors, the exposure was sobering. “We’ve never seen anything like this before,” they admitted. “The level of need is real, and urgent. But so is the sense of care and community.”
This was no longer just a case study. It was human.
Understanding the full food rescue journey
To understand our model end-to-end, we took the students on a day trip to Paarl. There, they visited several of our generous food donors, a fresh produce farm, a fully automated milk processing plant, and a family-owned manufacturing business.
Seeing where rescued food comes from, and meeting the people who choose to donate it rather than discard it, added another layer to their understanding. Food rescue isn’t just logistics, it’s a movement built on partnerships, purpose, and shared values.
From warehouse to impact
No volunteer experience at SA Harvest is complete without time at the heart of our operations: our Cape Town warehouse. Here, the students met the backbone of our mission, our warehouse team, drivers, logistics coordinators, and admin staff who keep the wheels turning and the food flowing.
They got to see the behind-the-scenes magic of food rescue: how crates are sorted, safety-checked, and prepared for delivery to our 200+ community-based beneficiaries. The scale, they said, was unexpected. The dedication, unforgettable.
Ideas that transcend borders
Throughout their stay, the students worked on a fundraising project aimed at helping SA Harvest explore opportunities in the German and broader European markets. At the end of their placement, they presented their findings in a detailed, insightful presentation, complete with a beautifully produced video that captured the essence of their experience in Cape Town.
Their suggestions included potential NGO partnerships, cross-border awareness campaigns, and channels for direct giving from international supporters. But more than strategy, they gave us something priceless: fresh perspective, cross-cultural connection, and a shared sense of mission.
A farewell with purpose
To our Berlin guests, thank you. You came with curiosity and left with compassion. You reminded us that hunger is not just a South African issue, it’s a global injustice. And solving it requires minds, hearts, and hands from every corner of the world.
We’re proud to have been part of your journey. You’ll always be part of ours.
Watch their beautiful video capturing the month-long journey here.
Want to join the movement to end hunger with purpose and dignity?
Explore our website for the ways to get involved.
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