FOOD PARCELS
MADE WITH DONATED CONTENTS
The additional, and no less vital food parcel initiative, is managed by Sandra van Oostenbruge and her enthusiastic team members Nathan Edropia, Thula Ndema and Thato Masondo. Through her relationship with SA Harvest, an organisation that collects and distributes quality surplus food, Sandra facilitated a partnership which ensures that SA Harvest’s refrigerated trucks regularly deliver large quantities of food for distribution to vulnerable Makers Valley people. Significant further contributions are made by NOSH, and one of the local food production companies. Sandra and her team pack at least 100 parcels each week, wherever possible including fresh vegetables grown in the local community farms. Additional donated contents in the parcels are educational toys and masks. Sandra notes that a ‘beautiful garden of collaboration’ is emerging.
Thula and Thato, partners in life and work, are the founders of SOBAE, a fresh sorbet enterprise based in Victoria Yards. Unable to trade during the lockdown, they immediately agreed to the use of their freezers for food storage, and volunteered to join Sandra’s team. They help with the ‘door to door’ visits as well as packing and distribution of the food parcels. Sandra praises the speedy and efficient way in which the ‘SOBAE couple’ transform a room full of newly-donated food into a row of carefully packed parcels ready for collection.
Nathan lives in Makers Valley and volunteered to help because he believes that South Africa’s ‘most important struggle is hunger’. He likes to know that he is participating in a project which is doing good and even ‘bringing a smile’ to the faces of hungry people. Nathan is also very happy that the upcoming new addition to the ‘garden of collaboration’ is to be distribution of seeds and gardening equipment, so that, wherever possible, people can grow their own food gardens.
