Community food gardeners are invited to sell their harvests at Shoprite and Checkers
Tholakele Centre of Hope is part of other local nationwide community gardens that have been given the opportunity to sell their harvest at the Shoprite and Checkers Market Day.
Tholakele Centre of Hope has been given the opportunity to sell its fresh and organically grown produce to the public at Checkers Selcourt on November 17.
This is an initiative that forms part of Shoprite and Checkers Market Day which empowers community gardeners to sell their crops nationwide.
Kholeka Mthembu, the centre manager of Tholakele Centre of Hope says the opportunity has been a dream come true for them as they have always wanted something sustainable as this initiative.
“We are grateful to the Shoprite Group for giving us such an opportunity. Completing the 12-month training with them has equipped us with the skills that we needed.”
“Things are shaping up and we couldn’t be more ready,” says Mthembu.
According to Sanjeev Raghubir, sustainability manager at the Shoprite Group, the market day was introduced in 2017 to extend their support of community food gardens and create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
“It provides the gardens with an opportunity to sell their organically-grown fresh produce and earn an income while promoting themselves to a broader audience and gaining valuable retail experience,” says Raghubir.
Hunger relief and food security are at the core of the Shoprite Group’s corporate social investment programmes.
The group currently supports more than 180 community food gardens and over 3 500 home gardens, which impact almost 5 000 beneficiaries.
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“In the past year, more than 2 700 community members were trained in sustainable food gardening, assisting them to grow nutritious and organic food.
“The gardens collectively produced a harvest of more than 31 500kg, providing almost 100 000 meals,” says Raghubir.
The group’s support includes 18 months of hands-on permaculture training for garden members, as well as water supply infrastructure, shade netting and garden resources, including gardening tools, seeds, seedlings and compost.
