The non-profit organisation Outside the Bowl (OTB) recently launched an initiative that aims to feed 10 000 children a day for 100 days straight.
The Paarl-based organisation’s main goal is to address health-and-nutrition challenges in the local region and nationally, particularly among underprivileged children. With the One Million Meals campaign it aims to combat childhood hunger.
OTB supports communities, early-childhood development (ECD) centres and schools, by providing them with nutritional, vitamin-rich instant energy meals.
It plans to fill 4 000 20-F buckets with its nutritious VitaKidz meal product and distribute them to 200 ECDs across South Africa and Africa.
On 28 June One Million Meals was officially launched at a breakfast event held at Ashanti Estate in Paarl. Now OTB is on a mission to raise R2 million so it can manufacture, package and distribute one million portions of the VitaKidz product as part of the campaign.
Mark Maingard, African CEO of Outside The Bowl Global, said the organisation also thanked its old and new donors who have supported it over the years at the recent event.
For a week, from 26 August to 1 September, OTB will produce the nutritional VitaKidz every day and looks forward to reaching the campaign goal.
“From 1 September we will donate 1 million VitaKidz instant energy porridge (packages) from Paarl to ECDs in the Western Cape,” Maingard said. “Last year’s potjiekos event was a once-off, which was actually to create awareness of OTB.
“At this coming event we are also going to feed children, but also create awareness of our organisation. The big thing is, we want people to come and support us.”
Last year the organisation had a successful potjiekos event in Wellington, where they prepared and cooked 100 potjiekos pots on one day.
OTB were able to feed and provide a meal to more than 100 000 people.
Maingard explained: “While we operate globally, we are deeply rooted in South Africa. We envision a world where all children receive physical and spiritual nourishment.
“By 2025, our goal is to manufacture and provide 500 000 ambient nutritional meals per day worldwide. VitaKidz not only fills the bellies of these children but also improves their health by providing essential vitamins.
“A single 20-litre bucket can sustain a child for an entire school year. Our aim is to alleviate hunger and combat malnutrition in South Africa and around the world.”
Maingard further invites everyone to join in when the new campaign starts in September. He says more details will be provided close to the date.
