Buy a bag of apples, feed a hungry South African

With 50% of South African households experiencing hunger or food insecurity, South African fresh produce retailer, Food Lover’s Market and Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, the largest supplier of South African apples and pears, have partnered with FoodForward SA to support World Hunger Day.

The Hunger Project launched World Hunger Day in 2011 to inspire people all over the world to show their solidarity and support for the women, men and children that are ending their own hunger and poverty. More than 795 million people worldwide go to bed hungry each night and the focus of this year’s campaign is good nutrition. Malnourished children often have stunted growth and delayed physically, emotional and mental development as nourishment for children begins in utero.

Chronic hunger persists when people lack the opportunity to earn enough, to be educated and gain skills, to meet basic health needs and to have a voice in the decisions that affect their community. World Hunger Day is about raising awareness of chronic hunger and about celebrating the achievements of millions of people who are already taking actions to end their own hunger.

Addressing hunger through partnership

Andrew Millson, head of Earth Lovers, says, “At Food Lover’s Market, we aspire to a South Africa that is hunger free. With 14 million South Africans going hungry every day, the group, through its Earth Lovers pillar, wants to make a sustainable, impactful difference in the communities in which we operate. A big part of this is to address hunger through our partnership with FoodForward SA. A well balanced and sufficient diet can be the first step in breaking the cycle of poverty and hunger.”

“The goals of the Hunger Project align with our company ethos and, through our partnership with Tru-Cape Apples and FoodForward South Africa, we hope to shine a spotlight on the ongoing plight of South African families.”

Tru-Cape MD Roelf Pienaar, adds, “We take our responsibility for the livelihoods of 15,200 people involved in our business very seriously, as we all rely on the successful sale of South African apples and pears to put food on our tables. Tru-Cape is proud to be associated with Food Lover’s Market and what The Hunger Project represents.”

Distribution of food

FoodForward SA collaborates with major food retailers and manufacturers to rescue edible food before it goes to waste. This food is distributed to the 600 NGOs it assists nationally. The donations, facilitated by the partnership with Food Lover’s Market and Tru-Cape, will go towards ensuring that FoodForward SA is able to continue to provide food to 250,000 people, as well as reaching more of the 14 million hungry South Africans.

FoodForward SA works to fulfil its vision of ‘A South Africa without hunger’ and has successfully supplied 14,500,000 meals in the last year. Food Lover’s Market is proud to be in a longstanding partnership with FoodForward SA. Each Food Lover’s Market store has partnered with a local charity, mostly aimed at children and has contributed towards 1.5 million meals, in the last year.

What you can do to help

• Buy a bag of Tru-Cape apples between 1-28 May and contribute to feeding someone in need
• Share the love and spread the word about Project Hunger and World Hunger Day using the hashtags #LoveMovement #WorldHungerDay #FoodForwardSA #HungerFreeSA #FoodLoversMarket #28May
• Look at your local community and perhaps reach out to a family in need by offering basic food supplies
• Consider packing an extra sandwich for your kid’s school lunch, which can then be offered to a hungry friend at school.