More demand for donor food as cost of living skyrockets

More people are relying on donors for food because of souring prices, although donations are dwindling as the economy continues to bite.

Food inflation is at record-high levels, with poor consumers in South Africa bearing the brunt.

Foods such as vegetables are more than 15% more expensive, while the prices of milk, eggs and cheese have increased by nearly 9%.

More people are malnourished

Soup kitchens and other feeding centres are seeing an increased number of people seeking meals, said FeedSA director Genevieve Solomons.

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The non-profit organisation feeds thousands across the country, including at hospice schools and mostly at community centres.

“Food has become so expensive that people cannot keep up. There’s a high demand for food, there are actually a lot more malnourished people, even in Gauteng alone.

“They are not able to reach us, we did find many of them during the Covid pandemic, but there are still many poor areas that need help.”

Regarding donors, Solomons says “donor fatigue” has set in as a result of poor economic growth and a post-Covid slump.

“It is tough, people have no money. We rely on any help we can get for the month.”

Balanced meals

Many old people and children go to the community centres for much-needed meals. The food served has all the necessary nutrients, resulting in a balanced meal, said Solomons.

“We have worked out all the necessities, we believe that you need all nutrients in a meal – protein, vegetables and carbohydrates.

“We can’t work with fresh meat and fish, although we have one beneficiary in Westbury who manages her own feeding scheme for 300 people a day, we give her a month’s supply of meat of R5 000.

“Otherwise, it is mealie pap, samp, canned vegetables, canned fish and a lot of grains. We do not believe in pre-packaged food that only requires water; they are not nutritious at all.”

Solomons said helping out creches has since been halted as they couldn’t keep track of the number of mouths to feed.

“We opted to feed kids at community centres rather than at creches after realising that instead of 30 kids, there would actually be five kids at a creche, and the rest of the food would be sold by creche owners.

“Community centres feed twice a day because children come for after-school programs and get to take food home for dinner.”

ALSO READ: Food prices still increasing for poor people – food basket survey

FeedSA also funds higher educational courses for the destitute, and in a way, pays it forward for future generations, Solomons added.

Vegetable garden for all

In Kliptown, Soweto, community developer Priscilla Nqwili established her own 15m² vegetable garden in 2013 on a piece of land allocated by the local ward councillor.

She was trained in permaculture, an innovative agricultural system involving harmonious management of the environment to produce food with no damage to the land.

Her garden produces different vegetables per month for the community, especially during the rainy season.

Along with three volunteers, Nkqwili is able to sell the produce to vegetable vendors and donate some to the destitute in her community.

She has also established a vegetable garden at a nearby creche so that caregivers can feed children.

“I love working on the land because land gives us more, it takes care of us. Only a fraction of residents here are employed, and most live in grinding poverty.

“This garden is a livelihood for the poor who can’t afford to buy food,” she told The Citizen.

Community issues

But Nkqwili’s work is not immune to the everyday community problems in Kliptown.

As more people desperately sought places to settle, she found herself dividing the piece of land to accommodate those who needed a place to stay.

“I had no choice but to let go of at least 15 vegetable beds because of someone who asked me to allow him to set up a shack as he has no other place to go.

“We desperately need more land, we also need tools and fertilizer. Any help will be greatly appreciated,” she said.

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