GEORGE NEWS - Unless the Garden Route Food Pantry gets support in the next two months it might have to close permanently. This was confirmed by Carl van Blerk, managing director of the company, on Monday.
The company is currently temporarily closed.
Van Blerk, who established the Garden Route Food Pantry in January 2021 to help supply in the food needs in the region, said it would be a tragedy if they have to close. There is more than enough money in the Garden Route.
There are also Section 18A tax benefits for people and companies that wish to make donations.
There are different ways of helping and contributing, not only through food donations. A person/company can make a donation every month of only R100 to the Friends of the Food Pantry. If 500 people support the initiative, it would make R50 000 available.
He pointed out that the Garden Route region has suffered natural disasters and severe food shortages the last few years.
"The food pantry has been instrumental in providing food relief to those affected. The facility currently supports over 200 soup kitchens and feeding centres across the entire district. More than 52 000 families in this area live below the breadline, many with no income at all, and they rely on community feeding systems.
"More than 27% of children under five are officially classified as malnourished. In this context, the closure of the Food Pantry will be yet another disaster in this region."
Read more in Thursday's George Herald, as well as online.
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