The FoodBank SA is calling on South Africans to fast and make a donation of R35 on Friday in honour of World Hunger Day, taking place on Saturday.
The public is asked to fast for eight hours from 9am to 5pm. FoodBank’s managing director, Andy du Plessis, said: “The aim of the fast is to give the public a better understanding of the impact of hunger, even if it is only for eight hours.”
He said the donations will provide food for one person for a month.
FoodBank’s fund development manager, Kate Hamilton, said they want to create awareness for the 13.8 million people who are hungry every day.
“We are trying to make people aware and make a contribution towards helping others.”
She said the campaign gave people an opportunity to donate R35 to feed those who did not have food and experience hunger for a day to know what people go through every day.
“They had had great support from the public for many years. Many people identified with hunger once they participated, while others find it challenging”.
Hamilton said they provided food to 550 organisations which fed children and the elderly, catering for 140 000 people daily. “We rely on support from the public and companies to feed the hungry.”
FoodBank SA said R1.08 can feed someone for a day, R35 feeds someone for a month and R400 for a year. “With a dedicated vision of ‘a South Africa without hunger’, FoodBank SA collects edible surplus food from manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers and redistributes it to hundreds of verified non-profit organisations that collectively feed thousands of hungry people daily,” the organisation said. Repercussions of hunger include stunted growth in children, reduced physical and mental development, lack of concentration and poor attendance at school as well as ill health and a lack of response to medication, which puts increased pressure on the health-care system.”
* Visit www.foodbanksa.org, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.