By Lyndall Davis - HWB Communications
FoodBank Cape Town (FoodBank CT) has expanded its primary school feeding programme, Lunch Buddies, to include 4800 pieces of fruit per week, with the help of the Fresh Produce Exporters Forum.
Geoff Penny, Executive Director of FoodBank South Africa (Foodbank SA), the national office for community foodbanks opening throughout South Africa, said, “Participating in the Lunch Buddies programme illustrates the huge amount of goodwill in our country. This is an excellent example of how small actions can positively influence the lives of many.”
The Lunch Buddies Campaign was adopted by FoodBank CT from one of its founding NGOs, Feedback Food Redistribution. The previous programme, Bread Buddies, operated for eight years and challenged learners who attend relatively affluent schools to bring an extra sandwich to school. FoodBank CT collected and redistributed the extra sandwiches to impoverished beneficiary schools.
The improved Lunch Buddies programme adds and distributes fruit with the parcels to three schools on a daily basis, with the help of Tru-Cape, Univeg, Capespan, Du Toit and Fruitways, which supply the fruit.
FoodBank CT has partnered with the Peninsula Schools Feeding Association (PSFA) in four additional schools. The learners are also educated about healthy eating and provided with a piece of fruit.
FoodBank CT hopes to expanding Lunch Buddies to more schools in months to come. FoodBank South Africa also hopes to roll out the project in other cities.
For more information please visit www.foodbankcapetown.org or email info@foodbankcapetown.org