Foodbank not for individuals

Following an article in the Addie, ‘Foodbank officially launched in Springs‘, residents have bombarded the Addie with phone calls about how to receive fresh produce.

Themba Gadebe, spokesman for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, says produce is only supplied to registered non-profit organisations (NPOs).

“Registered NPOs that are already involved with needy households, soup kitchens, home-based care and children/elderly homes are part of the programme,” he says.

He adds that residents who are in desperate need of food would have to contact a registered NPO, which would then approach the foodbank.

“The foodbank does not have the capacity to reach individuals and that is why we utilise the link provided by NPOs,” he said.

Gadebe explains that there is a limited budget which can only accommodate 2 000 beneficiaries per week for the time being.

“We currently have 13 NPOs which cater for 1 600 beneficiaries, we have 15 new applications from NPOs that must still be processed and we will prioritise those in areas which are currently not on the list in order to spread the impact to other areas within Ekurhuleni,” he said.

Not all NPOs that apply will qualify because of the limited budget, however, they will be placed on the waiting list which will be used to source additional funding.

“The NPOs must already be actively involved in the distribution of food parcels to beneficiaries in order to qualify, this will reduce the risk of using wrong groups where the food might end up in places where it is not intended,” Gadebe concludes.