Sowing Seeds of Change
At this year’s NGO Fair on the Wits Library Lawns (hosted by the Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach (WCCO) team), SA Harvest didn’t just set up a stand. We showed up to spark a movement.
We were one of over 40 nonprofit organisations invited to inspire civic-mindedness and social action among students. What did we find? A new wave of future leaders, already brimming with ideas, skills, and the will to act.
From the moment we arrived, the energy was electric. The students we met (vibrant, curious, and deeply engaged) weren’t asking, “What can I gain?” They asked, “How can I contribute?”
Many were encountering our food rescue model for the first time, the system that reroutes nutritious surplus food from farmers, retailers, and manufacturers to over 200 vetted community-based organisations across the country. They were intrigued. And then inspired, 80 million meals in five years is a triumph, but in a country that wastes 10 million tonnes of food annually, it’s just the beginning.
That’s why we were there: to connect, share, and grow the movement.
Among the standout moments:
- A group of student farmers offered to donate their surplus produce — the beginning of what we hope will be a long-term partnership.
- A health demography cohort offered research and data skills to deepen our insights into nutrition access.
- A student entrepreneur building a soil-analysis app wanted to help optimise food security from the ground up.
- Students running small-scale moving businesses offered to support our logistics, a critical part of our operational backbone.
These weren’t just offers of help. They were offers of partnership. Offers to innovate. Offers to lead.
The Wits Volunteer Fair reminded us of a simple truth:
Ending hunger is not a solo pursuit. It’s a collective one.
And the next generation is showing up with action, intention, and heart.
To every Witsie who met us with ideas and energy, thank you. The future of food security lives not only in the fields and fridges, but also in classrooms, in code, in community… and in every courageous conversation that dares to ask:
What if hunger could end in our lifetime?