Cape Town - It took six hours and over 56 000 cans of food to create the largest mosaic created entirely out of food cans, in celebration of Nelson Mandela.
On Monday, Ladles of Love with Good Hope FM broke the world record on Mandela Day.
Each of the 56 636 cans used to create the mosaic of Mandela will be donated to communities in need.
Leading up to the milestone event, members of the public had been asked to donate cans of food for the mosaic to be assembled at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and Nelson Mandela Square, Joburg.
In Joburg, 32 040 food cans were used to create the South African flag mosaic.
“We started so small. While walking, I encountered a homeless man wrapped in an old duvet. He was angry at the world, shouting and swearing. I offered him something to eat. The man stopped screaming, said thank you and was gone. The world is a different place when you are hungry.
“A basic need was met, and dignity restored – even just for a moment. At that moment Ladles of Love was born, and today eight years later we have grown exponentially – as has the hunger situation in our country, unfortunately,” Ladles of Love chief executive and founder, Danny Diliberto said.
“The spirit of Ubuntu in both cities was incredible. We placed around 90 000 food cans on the mosaics across the two cities and we’ve raised so much in terms of actual food and support to carry on with our mission to feed as many people as we can for as long as we can, and we cannot thank those that got involved enough.”
The previous food can mosaic world record, held by Doordash in the US, stood at 52.39 square metres. This record was broken with a mosaic measured at about 472.5 square metres.
“Good Hope FM is Cape Town’s original radio station and it’s an immense honour for us to have been part of this world record initiative,” Good Hope FM programme manager, Gerard Muller said.
In addition to the mosaics, 55 000 sandwiches were made between the two sites and donated.