Stock up on farm-fresh veggies at Checkers

Shoprite Group in partnership with Food and Trees for Africa is hosting a Market Day community food garden at Checkers outlets in Tzaneen and Polokwane today (Thursday).
Market Day is an outflow of this, as it enables community food gardens to promote themselves to a broader customer base and sell their excess crops. It provides them with some much-needed extra income, but also helps boost their independence which, in turn, leads to greater sustainability.
The day will see small scale farmers selling fresh vegetables from their gardens at the shop to a bigger market thus providing a great opportunity for Checkers customers to support local food gardens as all proceeds go to the gardens, which in most cases have commercial ambitions.
This will also be an excellent opportunity to support small-scale food gardens that provide sustainable nourishment and income opportunities for vulnerable communities across the country.
In a press statement released by Shoprite Group on Monday Robyn Hills, Food and Trees for Africa programme manager was quoted to have said market day is also a great opportunity for the gardens to put the marketing and business skills they have received as part of the Shoprite Group’s support into practice. “Some of these gardens have commercial ambitions and this kind of exposure opens their minds to the great opportunities out there and gives them the experience to grab them.”
Abigail Calata, Marketing Manager for Shoprite Group was quoted in the statement saying as part of its strategy to fight hunger, the Shoprite Group acts for change by partnering with more than 70 gardens. In partnership with Food and Trees for Africa, the retailer offers training and provides gardening equipment as well as seedlings over a period of at least 18 months.