SA Harvest, The Sharks partner to boost fight against hunger in KZN
National food rescue and hunger relief organisation SA Harvest has signed a three-year partnership with rugby franchise The Sharks to unlock exponential growth in the number of hungry people served and the volume of food rescued in KwaZulu-Natal.
SA Harvest x Sharks team. Source: Supplied
SA has over 200 vetted beneficiary organisations, 60 of which are located across KZN, from Richards Bay to Pietermaritzburg. In the month of August 2022, over 287,958 meals were delivered to beneficiaries in the province.
In terms of the agreement, The Sharks will provide SA Harvest with 500m2 of dedicated warehouse space at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, doubling the NPO's storage capacity.
Alleviating hunger and reducing food waste
“This means we have the potential to house sufficient stock to deliver a million meals at any point in time. SA Harvest’s model is based on the premise that if we can redirect some of the 13 million tonnes of perfectly edible, nutritious food that goes to waste every year in South Africa, we can significantly alleviate hunger while at the same time reduce the impact of food waste on the environment.
"The problem in this country is not a lack of food. The problem is a system which deprives millions of people access to affordable nutritious food, and while our strategy is to reduce hunger, we are also involved in systemic initiatives that will ultimately help end hunger in our country,” says Alan Browde, CEO of SA Harvest.
Dr Eduard Coetzee, The Sharks CEO, and Lindsay Hopkins, SA Harvest KZN operations manager. Source: Supplied
Expanding the reach of both organisations
The relationship between SA Harvest and The Sharks began after the KZN riots when the two organisations partnered to bring relief to affected areas, primarily in Zululand, through The Sharks’ Hands of Hope initiative. “The formalisation of the partnership between our two organisations will significantly expand the reach of both organisations’ efforts to fight hunger,” Browde says.
The agreement provides The Sharks with the means to amplify the reach of its Hands of Hope initiative and its ability to engage and inspire for greater impact through hunger relief efforts in Zululand.
Source: Supplied
Supporting sustainable relationships
“SA Harvest does great and meaningful work which has made it very easy for The Sharks to align and partner with SA Harvest. The Sharks have welcomed SA Harvest to Hollywoodbets Kings Park by building a permanent warehouse for SA Harvest to operate from.
"SA Harvest have committed to assisting The Sharks Foundation and our Hands of Hope initiative by providing 45,000 meals quarterly to registered NPOs and local communities that The Sharks support around the greater Durban area. This is huge for The Sharks, as it will allow us to make the relationships sustainable and really help those in need with essential food products,” says Dr Eduard Coetzee, The Sharks CEO.
SA Harvest’s long-term vision for the KZN region, which will be aided by the larger warehouse, is to expand relief efforts beyond the borders of KZN into the Eastern Cape, and to deepen the relationship with existing beneficiary organisations to begin addressing the systemic causes of hunger.
