F.E.E.D,s Winter Feeding Project to supply Vitality Booster Porridge to families of pupils attending the Jane Letsapa Primary School in the Village of Matlwang, is again appreciated by parents and the school management.
In 2021, F.E.E.D which is a local Non Profit Company (NPC) in Potchefstroom engaged in the supply of food to all pupils attending Jane Letsapa Primary School. This initiative was started to help mitigate the difficult circumstances that arose in family households, due to financial pressure and consequent food shortages. Increasingly as more people are losing their jobs, many households depend on a monthly grant from the State where children are raised by grandparents or a single parent. The monthly income is not sufficient to provide families food for the month and the children are malnourished and often go to school hungry. With the approval of the Department of Education and in collaboration with the School Management, F.E.E.D began a project to provide pupils with an early morning breakfast meal in the form of a breakfast porridge, known as Vitality Booster Porridge.
The food assistance project through the provision of Vitality Booster Porridge is twofold:
- F.E.E.D, supply an early morning supplementary breakfast (pre-cooked instant porridge meals that is high in nutritional value) to all pupils that is prepared by school kitchen staff. These meals are available to all pupils before the start of the school day as many of these children leave their household hungry. The Headmaster, Mr ML Makabe reckons the early morning breakfast meals are of great value because pupils eating the porridge have a better class participation. “A child functions better on a full stomach rather than on the empty one.” Families also benefit from the meals offered to pupils at school because the pupils are less hungry and consequently eat less at home, making more food available to other family members.
- F.E.E.D also supply, twice a year, a 5 kg bag of Vitality Booster Porridge to families. The family bags are issued before the start of winter holidays in June and at the end of the school year in November. Each 5 kg bag contains one hundred servings of 50gram each of porridge.
The holiday distribution event at Jane Letsapa took place on Thursday 13 June 2024. This is the third consecutive year that the Porridge donation to families took place. The porridge to the families is a great help, as the pupils are home during holidays.
F.E.E.D has in the last three years experienced the impact of Covid in the community, where children seem to suffer the most. Besides Jane Letsapa Primary School, F.E.E D’s Porridge Feeding Project also supports various kindergartens in Ikageng, namely Beginning Child Care Centre, Wabotsilo Child Development Centre and Rainbow Christian Academy.
F.E.E.D. is a registered South African non profit company, with headquarters in Potchefstroom. The non-profit organisation is in need of further support to enable it to continue this important community feeding scheme. Should you be interested in donating to the project or wish to find out more, please refer to www.feedngo.co.za or contact Henriette Schoeman, FEED project manager h.schoeman@sunfarming.co.za
