SA Harvest’s new Garden Route branch is set to deliver 100,000 meals a month

Carl van Blerk packs meals from the Heartland donation from the US. (Photo: SA Harvest)

By Michelle Banda

1 Dec 2021

South Africa’s fastest-growing food rescue organisation, SA Harvest, has expanded its impact with an additional branch in the Garden Route, bringing its total branches to four.

Food rescue organisation SA Harvest launched its new branch in the Garden Route in November. Headed by Regional Manager Carl van Blerk, the branch is set to deliver 100,000 meals a month across seven municipalities and is expected to scale up to 150,000 meals within the first 12 months.

The new branch is an addition to SA Harvest’s daily distribution of more than 15,000 meals.

Van Blerk says although the branch has been recently branded as part of SA Harvest, it was born about a year ago in collaboration with local municipalities and stakeholders. It was formerly known as the Garden Route Food Pantry.

Carl van Blerk sets out the latest food donations to SA Harvest Garden Route. (Photo: SA Harvest)

“The Garden Route is part of the Western Cape’s poorest regions, [and] especially in some of the inland districts the need for food is dire. Realising the growing need for food during the first lap of Covid-19 I put together a proposal to open a food bank. I approached municipalities for help, because one of the reasons we have not done it in the past is because of the lack of funding.

“I had a good conversation with the local municipalities and with the mayor of the Garden Route District Municipality, who [said] they were also looking at the possibility of a food bank. A very long story short, we [made] proposals to all the players. The Garden Route Food Pantry was launched last year in December.

“Since then the pantry has had 200 beneficiaries from across seven municipalities who have in turn catered for approximately 25,000 people.

sa harvest garden route Tillie Nel and Randall Scott prepare the food delivery list for the day. (Photo: SA Harvest)

“Throughout the pantry’s existence, our primary difficulty has been sourcing food, merely because Garden Route doesn’t have a big food production industry or major factories. It has very few large farms that we could approach for sourcing food.

“I then approached SA Harvest. They saw the benefit of actually including the SA Harvest branch in Garden Route and helping us to be able to source foods from around the country that we can bring to this region as well. That’s how we got to here. We changed our brand, from the Garden Route pantry to SA Harvest Garden Route branch.”

Van Blerk says the support and backing of SA Harvest positions them to be able to do a lot more, from funding to feeding as many people as possible every day.

From left: Carl van Blerk (regional manager), Warren Mandondo logistics), Randall Scott (warehouse manager), Enricho Agenbag (logistics), Jonathan Sauer (logistics/gardening) and Tillie Nel (operations manager) celebrate a new beginning for SA Harvest Garden Route. (Photo: SA Harvest)

“Following the recent flood disaster that caused havoc in George, it was amazing to be able to get food assistance from our country. We also had a bulk of maize meal coming from Italy that was brought to the branch.

“This has proven to be a successful and beneficial merge to ease poverty and hunger in the Garden Route region.”

Henrico Kumutu of Eden Meals on Wheels, a beneficiary non-profit organisation based in Oudtshoorn, told Maverick Citizen the impact of the SA Harvest Garden Route is already being felt.

sa harvest garden route Warren Mandondo receives fortified porridge stock, a donation from Outside the Bowl. (Photo: SA Harvest)

He said that, “A pool of 695 children benefit with the first meal of the day from us, whose ingredients we source from the pantry. We have noticed several positive responses from the children and the new energy that is visible amongst the beneficiaries.

“Also, in Dysselsdorp, a community that experiences high levels of chronic poverty, there is visible change as we continue to also distribute breakfast there as well daily.

sa harvest garden route Randall Scott prepares soup for hungry communities. (Photo: SA Harvest)

“The supply is a source of hope for many disadvantaged children and families who can’t afford their food and those dependent on the Sassa support grant that is barely enough to keep them away from hunger. We are truly grateful for such an initiative.”

Alan Browde, CEO of SA Harvest, said: “We are excited that we were able to open this branch with a sound infrastructure in place, and significantly expand the reach of our organisation, through strong backing and support from key stakeholders in the area.”

sa harvest garden route Carl van Blerk packs meals from the Heartland donation from the US. (Photo: SA Harvest)

Combined with the expertise and network of SA Harvest, the Garden Route branch is already delivering meals in Klein Karoo, Central Karoo, Hessequa, Mossel Bay, Kannaland, Oudtshoorn, George, Knysna, Bitou, Beaufort West, Laingsburg and Prince Albert.

SA Harvest is looking to extend operations into the southern region of the Eastern Cape where a boost in food security is desperately needed — and to join forces with existing operations in the Garden Route. DM/MC

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