South Africa’s only registered food bank, FoodForward SA, has received a US$10 000 grant from the Starbucks Foundation in recognition of the organisation’s community impact through food gardens that strengthen long-term resilience in underserved communities.
By Lebogang Mashala, editor at African Farming
Through its Food Gardens Connect Programme, FoodForward SA equips unemployed people with skills and resources to grow their own food. Participants receive seedlings, equipment and practical mentorship, while also benefiting from a guaranteed buy-back arrangement for their produce, creating income opportunities and improving food security in vulnerable communities.
The organisation also recovers edible surplus food from across the food system and redistributes it to nearly 900 000 vulnerable people daily through a network of 2 200 registered beneficiary organisations operating in urban and rural communities across South Africa. The initiative contributes to reducing food loss and waste, helping to curb methane emissions linked to climate change.
Also read: How food gardens are planting the seeds of success among ECD practitioners
Seeing lives transformed in communities
Andy du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA, said the Food Gardens Connect Programme continues to make a meaningful impact in communities.
“The initiative is showing incredible progress. Seeing lives transformed and communities empowered reminds us that meaningful change is only possible through collective action. A very special thank you to The Starbucks Foundation for helping make this possible,” he said.
Du Plessis added that the funding will enable the expansion of the programme to five new beneficiary organisations, potentially benefiting an estimated 800 people.
The Starbucks Foundation’s Global Community Impact Grants programme has awarded more than US$14 million to over 200 nonprofit organisations worldwide since 2022, supporting locally driven community resilience projects.
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