Clemengold International, a prominent Mandarin brand rooted in South Africa, has recently made a significant commitment to community welfare through a partnership with SA Harvest, a registered non-profit organisation focused on food rescue and hunger relief.
The company has pledged to donate 1 000 tonnes of citrus during the 2023 citrus season, with the initial shipment of 68 tonnes already dispatched from the Twypack packhouse in Mbombela in Mpumalanga to communities in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The collaboration between ClemenGold International and SA Harvest aims to address food waste and combat hunger in the country. SA Harvest leads initiatives that redirect surplus food from farms, manufacturers, and retailers to individuals and communities in need. By teaming up with SA Harvest, ClemenGold International hopes to expand its impact and support areas beyond its immediate surroundings.
Another feather in their cap
ClemenGold International has a long-standing commitment to community support, annually distributing over four million pieces of citrus to approximately 160 000 beneficiaries. These recipients include individuals in crèches, old age homes, hospitals, schools, and other non-profit institutions located in areas where access to proper nutrition is a daily challenge.
However, the company acknowledges its limitations in handling the logistics required for such large-scale actions, which is where SA Harvest’s expertise and network come into play.
Lucille Strecker, responsible for overseeing ClemenGold International’s corporate social investment initiatives, explains that while the donated fruit is typically used for the company’s juice programmes, they have made a deliberate decision to serve their communities in any way possible.
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Facilitating change
In addition to their focus on early childhood development and socio-economic programmes, donating fruit directly addresses critical issues such as hunger and health.
For SA Harvest, delivering nutritious food is a fundamental principle of their philosophy. Alan Browde, CEO and founder of SA Harvest emphasised that every South African should not only have access to food but access to nutritious food.
He says, “Food-insecure communities often face significant barriers to accessing nutritious food, resulting in issues such as starch-excess obesity, malnourishment, and various diet-related health conditions.”
SA Harvest, through its network of vetted beneficiary organisations, aims to directly impact and nourish individuals in these communities, especially children.
Enablers needed
To facilitate the transportation of the donated fruit, SA Harvest has reached out to logistics and transport companies for support. Given the massive logistical undertaking of transporting 68 tonnes of fruit weekly from Nelspruit to either Durban or Johannesburg, Ozzy Nel, chief operating officer of SA Harvest, underscores the need for enablers to ensure that this nutritious and vitamin-rich fruit reaches the beneficiary organisations in these cities.
“The donation of the fruit is the first valuable piece of the food rescue puzzle, but we need enablers alongside us for the next steps in ensuring that this nutritious, vitamin-rich fruit reaches our beneficiary organisations in Durban and Johannesburg,” adds Nel.
The partnership between ClemenGold International and SA Harvest represents a significant step toward reducing food waste and alleviating hunger in South Africa. By combining their resources and expertise, the two organisations are poised to make a lasting impact on communities in need, providing them with vital nutrition and improving overall health and well-being.
Logistics companies interested in partnering with SA Harvest to support their initiative can reach out to Margolite Williams at 079 495 4433 or via email at margolite@saharvest.org.
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