New partnership keeps children healthy

TWO local organisations have formed a partnership to help make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children in the community.

FreshBox, a Glenwood based non-government organisation that sells boxes of fruit to raise funds to feed hungry children, recently started supporting Durban Child and Youth Care Centre by providing fruit weekly for the children at the centre.

Nicolette Modicka from Durban Child and Youth Care Centre said the organisation first heard about FreshBox last October, when they were planning the Centre’s Friendship Day programme.

“One of our international social work students mentioned FreshBox, and suggested we make contact with the founder, Benjamin Constable, to find out if he could sponsor fruit for the event. This was approved and Benjamin then told us about the opportunity to apply for a sustainable food grant. After the assessment, our grant was approved and FreshBox has been supporting the Centre ever since,” she said.

Benjamin said FreshBox is currently supplying 50kg of fruit to the Centre a week, with the aim to grow this to 220kg.

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“This, however, depends on our customer base as we fill our customers’ orders and send all the remaining bulk fruit to our beneficiaries,” he said.

Mandy Goble, director of the Centre, said there was previously a sponsor of fruit and vegetables at the Centre, however she could no longer support them.

“We were so grateful while the sponsorship was there and really felt the lack of it afterwards! We had to start looking at what fruit and vegetables were were providing for the children and were never able to step out of buying the most cost effective produce. With FreshBox, it is great to see the variety of fruit provided for the children,” she said.

Mandy said there was also another positive spin-off from the partnership, as two of the children at the Centre were able to get part time holiday work with FreshBox.

Benjamin said the staff enjoyed having the youth helping out and enjoyed mentoring them, and they would be welcome back again.

“FreshBox has grown so much since we first started. We now have three major projects, with the Centre being one of them. We also partnered with iThemba Lethu’s schools’ project feeding children in Cato Crest last year and currently feed breakfast to Grade 6 learners Monday to Friday, and aim to grow this to also feed the Grade 5s. We also support the Hop Shop’s feeding scheme and supply 20kg of fruit a week to this. We have had a great buy in from the community and aim to reach 200 subscribers soon,” he said.

Sign up for FreshBox

PEOPLE can sign up for FreshBox online and are billed at the beginning of the month.

Once they’ve ordered their fruit via the website they get their fruit delivered to venues in Glenwood where they then pick it up.

There are 25 different fruits to choose from with the purchase of a 3kg box feeding around one to two children, a 5kg box feeding two children and the proceeds from a 7kg box feeding up to three children. Customers subscribe at www.freshbox.co.za and can pick up their fruit from either Coffee Tree, Prep Room, Glenwood Bakery, Station Drive, or KZNSA Gallery.

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