Employees from operating points in Paarl, Wellington, Simondium, Malmesbury and Franschhoek transformed the Agrimark Wellington training room into a vibrant meal packing facility. Their mission? To pack as many nutritious meals as possible in partnership with Rise Against Hunger (RAH), a non-profit organisation committed to eradicating child hunger.
KAL, guided by its unwavering commitment to leave communities better off, joined hands with RAH to help enhance access to quality education and nutritious meals for children aged 0-6, ensuring they have the nourishment needed to thrive. The meal packs are provided for and served at Early Childhood
Development (ECD) centres in vulnerable communities.
According to a 2020 report by the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute, 10% of children (2,1 million) live in households that reported child hunger.
“Education is the key focus area of our corporate social initiatives and children who go hungry cannot develop as they should,” explains Barend Sulvester, KAL’s Senior Manager of Sustainability. RAH operates on three foundational principles, namely that hope thrives alongside nutrition, learning increases with stability, and self-sufficiency leads to growth.
“Ensuring children have productive days at school is a core focus of KAL’s impact
journey,” says Barend. “We asked employees to volunteer their time and were overwhelmed by the support. They embraced the spirit of Mandela Day and packed a remarkable 21 168 nutritious meals during the event. These meals will go on to benefit four ECD centres in the Winelands, ensuring they can provide
nutritious meals every day for an entire year.”
Each RAH meal pack contains enriched rice, soy protein, dried vegetables, and 23 essential vitamins and nutrients.
Employees who participated in this heart-warming event also shared their thoughts:
ELIZE VAN WYK
GENERAL WORKER: CORPORATE OFFICE, KAL
"It's great to know that the small contribution of my time will help set up a child for a brighter future. Child hunger is real, and I look forward to more events where we can make a positive impact and give many more children a chance to succeed. It was also great to spend time with fellow colleagues. We had so much fun."
ROBERT MULLER
SENIOR MANAGER: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, KAL
"Connecting with colleagues while making a difference and creating a positive impact felt phenomenal.I look forward to more and more outreach projects where we can participate. Keep up the great work."