Cape Town - Coronation Group fund managers have made a sizeable donation to aid families who will be in need during the third wave of Covid-19.
Head of Marketing Wendy Bergsteedt said the organisation had donated R1.5 million to FoodForward SA, ensuring 1.7 million meals.
She said it was vital that all sectors of society combine their efforts and resources to alleviate suffering and find solutions to poverty in the country.
“Covid-19 brought human tragedy and socio-economic loss to the forefront of our society, and we wanted to assist our communities through contributions towards organisations such as FoodForward SA.
“In addition to our donations, we connected our communities by allocating food vouchers to parents all over the Western Cape.
“As it stands, the families in the areas supported by Coronation are still in dire need of assistance, with 30% of South African children still living below the poverty line, which is why we will continue our support.” Bergsteedt said.
FoodForward SA Fund Development manager Deidré Adams said the food bank was rapidly upscaling to reach more of those in need from rural communities across the country.
“We currently feed a total of 550 000 beneficiaries, 73 000 of which are from the Western Cape, and we are now halfway through our 5-year plan of feeding 1 million beneficiaries daily.”
Adams said the donation from Coronation was important because there was a high demand for donations from corporate and community organisations to reach the goal.
FoodForward SA managing director Andy Du Plessis said the organisation’s core business was the recovery of edible surplus food from the supply chain.
“We connect the world of surplus or excess to this world in need by partnering with supply chain stakeholders and making sure they donate all their good quality, within date, surplus produce and products to ensure we can feed roughly 30 million people that are estimated to be hungry and food insecure at this time,” he said.