Category: FeedThePlanet – Blog

Donate to Chefs with Compassion

South Africa needs your support. Help the SA Chefs Association, together with Chefs with Compassion and the help of dozens of chefs from around South Africa, to feed the hunger. Read their open letter below and please donate if you can.

Dear Chef,

Over the last week, you may have seen or heard on the news of the unprecedented widespread riots in parts of South Africa. The reasons are complex but are certainly grounded in the vast socio-economic challenges that are present in South Africa. The destruction is immense and affects many of the more vulnerable sectors of our country. Coupled with the ongoing COVID pandemic, these riots will have a devasting long-lasting effect on regional economies, supply chains, and subsequent hunger within South Africa.

Last year, on the initiative of one Che, Phillipe Frydman, a feeding scheme was formed as a response to the hard lockdown. A registered charity was created with the primary mission of feeding the less fortunate within our society. Food was rescued from locked down hotels and restaurants, unsold fresh produce saved from the incinerator at the fresh produce market and donated almost expired dry goods were turned into nutritious meals. To date Chefs with Compassion has cooked approximately 1,8 million meals, largely from rescued produce that otherwise would have gone to waste.

We are certainly not the only organisation who is tackling the problem of food waste and the vast issue of hunger in South Africa, however, two large organisations have temporarily stopped their operations due to the current unrest. Something which I understand.

We at Chefs with Compassion have resolved to continue, our volunteers on ground (some of them operating in the unrest areas) have convinced us that that the need is greater than the intimidation factor.

It is for this reason I am writing asking your assistance. We need funds to continue. I am aware that the pandemic is global and all of us have been affected financially, emotionally, and on a very personal level. here exists within all societies across the globe donor apathy and fatigue- we all want to move on with our lives. However, for many people here, that is just not possible. Hunger is real, food waste is real – we can change that if we try. Chefs with Compassion has proven that we can alter someone’s day by feeding them.

Even though the organisation is run by volunteers we still have costs – from the rental of our Sharehouse ( it where all the produce comes in before it is shared out to all the wonderful chefs and cooks ), to the rental of trucks, the utilities, and more.

I humbly ask you to help us raise funds in your country with your chefs Association. Your Dollar, Euro, and Pounds stretch far in this beautiful country. Literally, every cent counts in these troubled times. For less than a dollar, we can produce and deliver a nutritious meal.

Sadly, our resources are currently stretched – with supply chains been halted from the coast- many communities are being forgotten – the news and support are mainly focusing on the larger cities of Durban and Johannesburg – between them lies many small towns some of them have no fuel, food, medicine or water. In addition to our committed network of kitchen hubs across the country, we leave on Monday with some 4 tons of essentials from Johannesburg. A small first step

The South African people and particularly the culinary community fondly and thankfully remembers the various Cooks Tours against Hunger which was hosted by the Chefs Association- unfortunately, we cannot do these activities at this time. Humbly, we ask you to send what you can in terms of financial aid – every dollar, euro, pound, and yen will make a difference to fellow humans, and it will all be accounted for – the charity is run by volunteer chefs.

Without your support, many will go to bed hungry, food waste will continue and the key philosophy– Good Clean and Fair food for all, will undoubtedly take a back seat as community poverty increases in these uncertain times.
If you have any questions, I would be happy to provide you with more information about how you can help support our work at Chefs with Compassion. Email: [email protected].

We greatly appreciate your donation, and it will be used to continue to rescue produce, cook nutritious meals and feed the vulnerable.

Please join us! Please share with other organisations and institutions who you feel may be able to help. With your donation, we’re one step closer to achieving our goal of raising $100 thousand dollars from chefs, cooks, and producers across the globe.

With culinary regards,

Arnold Tanzer

www.cwc.org.za

Donate via EFT

Bank Name: First National Bank Account Holder: Chefs with Compassion
Account Type: Cheque Account Number: 62852995269 Branch Code:250655 Swift: FIRNZAJJ.

Donate via Payfast:

https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/chefswithcompassion

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To learn more about Chefs with Compassion and their great work, you can watch Episode 4 of Sustainability Around the World.

You can also read more about them in the latest issue of Worldchefs Magazine.

To find out how you can get involved at Chefs with Compassion visit their website cwc.org.za and their Facebook page Chefs with Compassion.

For more on the South African Chefs Association, visit sachefs.co.za.

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