Crisis centre’s invaluable work shines bright on Shoprite’s truck fleet
The vegetable garden at the centre feeds hundreds of families, including children from underprivileged families in the township.
It appears that the hard work by the team of volunteers at the Reiger Park Crisis Centre’s community vegetable garden does not go unnoticed.
Someone has been watching and values the team’s efforts.
Shoprite is featuring the centre’s vegetable garden team on its truck fleet, putting the team and the community at large on the map as the trucks criss-cross the South African towns and countryside.
The centre manager, Elaine Appies, said she and the team at the centre are over the moon about being featured on the trucks.
“I hope being featured on the trucks will send out a good and positive message about the good work carried out by the centre,” said Appies.
Appies was also excited that apart from producing vegetables to donate to the needy, the garden has since blossomed into a successful vegetable business, which helps to raise funds for the centre.
She said their vegetables are selling like hot cakes, and the garden team had also taken the initiative further by sharing their expertise in growing vegetables with community members.
“We have a number of our beneficiaries who have started their own veggie gardens in their backyards and most of them are now running their own gardens,” said Appies.
The centre started the garden project a few years ago, and has been working in partnership with Shoprite to ensure that the garden produces enough to feed the needy families in the area.
Lunga Schoeman, Shoprite CSI spokesperson, said in a statement that the trucks will be added to the 19 rebranded delivery trucks that are already traversing the length and breadth of South Africa, to deliver fresh produce.
The trucks are also moving billboards that share the stories of the heroes with whom Shoprite partners to act for change.
“As a business with heart and a food retailer, one of our main objectives is to fight hunger.
“We do so by partnering with garden heroes in various communities, some are as far afield as Lusaka, Zambia, to establish sustainable food gardens.
“Our involvement is not just a once-off intervention, as we provide practical as well as material support over an extended period to ensure that the project succeeds and is sustained well into the future,” said Schoeman.
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