KFC Add Hope doubles its food relief campaign to stem hunger
Two million meals have already been pledged and are being distributed daily, in addition to KFC Add Hope’s regular outreach.
Having swiftly mobilised more than one million food parcels in the past few weeks, KFC Add Hope has further responded to the chronic food shortages in the hardest-hit areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, by pledging a further one million parcels.
These food parcels are being distributed by partners on the ground, led by HOPE worldwide South Africa, to those most affected by the recent unrest and looting, including a number of early childhood development centres and schools. The parcels sustain a typical family of four for approximately two weeks.
“This is an evolving situation, the unprecedented scale of which has required us to scale up our efforts as much as possible to meet the needs on the ground,” says Andra Nel, CSI manager at KFC South Africa.
“The entire KFC family is pulling together to help rebuild the most-affected communities.”
School and business closures during the latest pandemic lockdown, coupled with job losses following the rioting, and increases in food prices due to shortages, have placed many already-hungry families in a truly dire position.
HOPE worldwide South Africa’s Dr Marc Aguirre says that food insecurity in the months to come is a very real reality for many.
“Food insecurity and rising food prices have a devastating impact on impoverished communities. It means less food purchasing power both in terms of quantity and quality. This has an impact on health, child development, and social and mental well-being. South Africa was facing a food security crisis long before the recent unrest, but now every dimension of food security has been negatively impacted by recent events – access, affordability, nutrition, and stability. The impact can be clearly seen in the hardest-hit areas,” says Aguirre.
“We are working closely with disaster management authorities and our network of beneficiary organisations on the ground to focus our efforts on the hardest hit areas and to maximise our impact. The two million meals pledged so far are being distributed daily, and will be in addition to our regular outreach,” says Nel.
Started in 2009, the KFC Add Hope initiative provides over 30 million meals per year to over 150 000 children daily, and supports more than 140 NPOs.
“Notwithstanding this scale, we are only too aware that much more needs to be done. We are, of course, only one of many brands acting in collaboration with government, other corporates, NPOs and communities to rebuild communities in their time of greatest need.
“Feeding schemes, which were vitally important even prior to the lockdown and unrest, have become more critical. The need for food security is increasingly pressing,” concludes Nel.
