Latest news with #SAHarvest
eNCA
5 days ago
- General
- eNCA
Buckets of nutrition for Matric pupils
JOHANNESBURG - Preparing for matric exams is a stressful period. Doing it while also worrying about your next meal is near-impossible. But, Madiba said, it always seems impossible until it is done. Now, SA Harvest is helping make the impossible possible for thousands of Grade 12 pupils. It packed buckets of nutrition and love in Durban and Johannesburg for Mandela Day. Those buckets will be distributed to pupils in underserved communities. SA Harvest spokesperson Cassandra Potgieter has more on this.
IOL News
5 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Nourishing matrics in need
Young models Angela Dere (12), Adele Mhandu (11) and Nicky Deve (9) from Durban enjoyed lending a hand at The Pavilion Mandela Day. They write personal notes to matriculants on the buckets used in the Buckets of Nutrition campaigne. In a moving display of unity and ubuntu, The Pavilion Shopping Centre once again partnered with SA Harvest to host its second Mandela Day 'Buckets of Nutrition for Matriculants' packing party. The effort aims at combating food insecurity and giving hope to pupils writing their final exams. By the end of the day, 445 care buckets were packed by volunteers from all walks of life. These were filled with nutritious non-perishable food, hygiene items, and essential school stationery and will be delivered to matriculants in rural and hard-to-reach parts of KwaZulu-Natal. Chiara Henry, SA Harvest's Procurement Manager in Durban, was moved by the support. 'It's been really great to get our corporate donors GanTrans, the Road Freight Association and the public from far and wide working side by side. Durban really showed up for these matrics and we are so grateful.' General Manager of The Pavilion Shopping Centre, Vicky Deppe, added 'We are honoured to open our space to initiatives that create real impact and were warmed by the response of our shoppers, tenants and service providers. Mandela Day is more than a moment - it's a movement of hope, and we're proud to support our youth in such a meaningful way.' Volunteers expressed heartfelt motivation for their participation. Reva Johnston, a retired teacher, said: 'The theme this year resonates deeply. It's still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity. This is exactly what these learners need.' Model and mentor Christina Maloka brought her young mentees to pack, 'Mandela Day is a powerful way to teach children the importance of giving back.' Among the youngest helpers was five-year-old Sayuri Rampath, visiting from Dubai, who was excited to support children in need during her holiday. Camryn Linderboom, a Maris Stella matriculant, said: 'I had to help. I know the struggle and we even prayed for the recipients while we packed.' Nirdosh Pillay, Executive Director at GanTrans, said: 'People underestimate the power of doing good. Our teams came every hour – not just to donate, but to lend a hand and write their messages.' Netball coach and content creator, Sarah Kanamugire summed up the mood of the day, 'Food and nutrition are essential to academic focus. This initiative directly supports our future leaders.'
IOL News
15-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
Why nutrition is the missing link in education equity
SA Harvest's 2025 Mandela Day campaign, Buckets of Nutrition for Matriculants, goes beyond symbolic giving. The campaign takes aim at one of the most overlooked but critical drivers of inequality in education: hunger. Image: Supplied Every July, South Africans come together to honour Nelson Mandela's legacy by dedicating 67 minutes to acts of service. But symbolic gestures aren't enough to repair systemic fractures. As we mark Mandela Day this year, it's time to ask a deeper question: What if those 67 minutes could build infrastructure for justice, not just sentiment? As a food rescue organisation, SA Harvest, we believe we can. This year, we're answering that question through action. Our 2025 Mandela Day campaign, Buckets of Nutrition for Matriculants, goes beyond symbolic giving. It's designed as a tangible intervention in the ecosystem of inequality, not only by meeting learners' immediate needs, but by mobilising corporate logistics, public participation, and food rescue infrastructure in service of systemic change. Those 67 minutes? They're not just spending packing a bucket. They are helping to build a logistics chain, activate community networks, and distribute dignity at scale. SA Harvest's 2025 Mandela Day campaign, Buckets of Nutrition for Matriculants, goes beyond symbolic giving. The campaign takes aim at one of the most overlooked but critical drivers of inequality in education: hunger. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The campaign takes aim at one of the most overlooked but critical drivers of inequality in education: hunger. Across South Africa, more than 800 000 Grade 12 learners will sit for their matric exams this year. Yet behind the exam papers lie stark realities — learners studying on empty stomachs, walking long distances to school, sharing homes where food is scarce, if not absent. In many communities that SA Harvest serve, preparing for matric is less about study tips and more about survival strategies. It's a crisis that's easy to overlook until you sit with the numbers. According to the 2024 Food (In)Security Report by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), nearly two-thirds (63%) of South African households experience food insecurity, with 17,5% in severe hunger. These are households that regularly skip meals, go to bed hungry or survive entire days without food. Among children, the situation is even more alarming. One in seven has gone hungry in the past week. Stunting affects 30% of boys and 25% of girls under five, locking them into cycles of compromised cognitive development, setting the stage for underperformance long before learners reach the classroom. SA Harvest's 2025 Mandela Day campaign, Buckets of Nutrition for Matriculants, goes beyond symbolic giving. The campaign takes aim at one of the most overlooked but critical drivers of inequality in education: hunger. Image: Supplied Food insecurity is not just a social injustice. It's a neurological, developmental and economic emergency. Ultimately, an educational barrier. Nutrition directly influences brain development, concentration, memory, and mental health. In households where learners skip meals to stretch the family budget, school becomes less a space for opportunity and more a test of survival. And while many rightly point out that South Africa produces enough food to feed its population, we discard nearly 10 million tonnes of edible food annually, a third of what we produce as a country. That waste costs the country more than R61.5 billion a year, according to the same report. In essence, our hunger crisis isn't one of scarcity. Our crisis is made of broken systems, wasted abundance, and missed opportunities. SA Harvest does the work to intercept that failure. Our model of food rescue reclaims edible surplus and redistributes it through a national network of vetted community-based organisations. But we do more than redistribute. We track every kilogram, every kilometre, every route and every recipient, because real change requires rigour, not just goodwill. The Buckets of Nutrition campaign is an extension of this ethos. Each bucket (filled with nutritious shelf-stable food, basic hygiene products, and essential exam stationery) is designed with dignity in mind. These are not handouts. They're interventions. They're bridges to exam success, to restored self-worth, and the possibility of a different future. But we cannot do this alone. It will take hands, hearts, and hard infrastructure. That's why we've partnered with the Road Freight Association, whose members are donating warehouse space, trucks, and time to move these buckets across South Africa. On the ground, partners like Amdec at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg and Pavilion Mall in Durban are offering their spaces not just as venues, but as platforms for visibility, generosity, and shared purpose. These public activations allow individuals, corporations, and communities to show up (and to be seen showing up) for something bigger than themselves. It's a living example of how industries can stand in solidarity with youth, not just symbolically, but structurally. Last year, over 350 volunteers helped us pack 2 879 buckets across three cities. This year, we aim to go further, because the need has only grown. And because we've seen firsthand what happens when you place power, not pity, at the heart of giving. Cassandra Potgieter leads Strategy, Marketing, and Communications at SA Harvest, where her focus is on building partnerships that drive long-term solutions to hunger in South Africa. Image: Supplied Cassandra Image: Supplied There's a moment from one of our beneficiary families that I carry with me. A mother had nothing but pap to offer her son on his birthday. 'I don't mind,' he said. 'As long as we can eat something.' That child understood something we often forget: hunger strips away more than nutrition. It takes joy, imagination, and focus with it. We're asking South Africans to act, not out of pity, but out of principle. To sponsor a bucket, to join a packing event, or simply to share the story. Because behind every bucket is a future we can still change. Mandela once said, 'There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than how it treats its children.' This Mandela Day, may our souls be revealed not in slogans, but in action – because justice starts with a full stomach. Cassandra Potgieter leads Strategy, Marketing, and Communications at SA Harvest, where her focus is on building partnerships that drive long-term solutions to hunger in South Africa. With a background in behavioural science and organisational psychology, she works across sectors to connect data, logistics, and storytelling in the service of social change. Cassandra brings over 20 years of experience to her work, drawing on both corporate and non-profit worlds. She believes in the quiet power of collective action and is deeply committed to amplifying the voices of those at the frontlines of food insecurity and systemic inequality. SA Harvest's 2025 Mandela Day campaign, Buckets of Nutrition for Matriculants, goes beyond symbolic giving. The campaign takes aim at one of the most overlooked but critical drivers of inequality in education: hunger. Image: Supplied
IOL News
01-07-2025
- General
- IOL News
Durban rallies behind matrics with Mandela Day bucket campaign at Pavilion
Former South African President Nelson Mandela laughing while celebrating his birthday with children at the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund in Johannesburg. STUDYING on an empty stomach is hard but this year matriculants preparing for their crucial exams won't go hungry. Instead they'll receive buckets of love this Mandela Day when volunteers will gather to prepare buckets filled with food which will be given to resource-scarce pupils. SA Harvest, a leading food rescue organisation in South Africa, is spearheading the campaign and says that hundreds of care buckets will be packed. 'Our campaign is not just about charity; it's about justice,' says Ozzy Nel, COO of SA Harvest. 'Food rescue is not a handout; it's a powerful tool for systemic change. We aim to meet young people where they are and give them a real chance at success.'
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa Harvest expands national fleet with new trucks
Food rescue and hunger relief organisation, SA Harvest has expanded its national fleet with the addition of several new trucks, including a refrigerated unit. This development marks a milestone in SA Harvest's mission to rewire South Africa's food system by transforming logistics inefficiencies into opportunities for equity and environmental impact. Every year, more than 10 million tonnes of edible food goes to waste in South Africa, while nearly 20 million people face hunger. The challenge lies not in food production but in getting surplus food to where it's needed. 'Hunger is a logistical crisis, not a scarcity crisis,' says Ozzy Nel, COO of SA Harvest. 'We don't aim to build the biggest fleet, but rather the most effective, collaborative movement of food in the country.' The new trucks will allow SA Harvest to access more remote and underserved areas, increase the volume of food transported, and improve resilience across its operations. The addition of a temperature-controlled unit also enhances cold-chain capability, ensuring the safe transport of perishable, nutrient-rich food over long distances. Each vehicle is an operational extension of SA Harvest's commitment to dignified and consistent food access. The power of SA Harvest's logistics model lies not in scale, but in smart, purpose-driven partnerships. While it operates a lean, targeted fleet, much of its distribution is made possible through collaborations with logistics providers who contribute underutilised resources, including empty return legs and short-term vehicle support. Case in point An example of this is a recent large-scale collaboration with a local farmer, one of South Africa's major producers of fresh vegetables, illustrates the power of SA Harvest's model. When a surplus of over 200,000kgs of butternut became available - produce that risked going to waste due to seasonal oversupply - SA Harvest mobilised swiftly. Through coordination with multiple logistics partners, the butternut was collected and delivered to over 40 community-based organisations in two provinces, where it was distributed to families facing food insecurity. In return, logistics partners receive Section 18A tax certificates for in-kind transport donations, access to environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting data such as carbon emissions prevented, and public recognition for their role in a replicable, systems-based approach to hunger relief. Technology plays a central role in the organisation's operations. SA Harvest integrates real-time analytics and a central Power BI dashboard to track key metrics, including food volumes rescued, emissions avoided, delivery efficiency, and cost savings to community partners. This infrastructure of vehicles, warehouses and digital systems supports a humanitarian supply chain built for transparency, impact and long-term sustainability. SA Harvest is inviting more logistics providers to join its growing network. Whether through occasional unused routes, shared warehouse space or temporary access to transport, the logistics industry can make a measurable difference. 'In the right hands, logistics becomes more than transport,' says Nel. 'It becomes a bridge between waste and want - a way to create meaningful, lasting change.'
