Through their new campaign, Denny is bringing South Africa the ultimate comfort and warmth for the winter while supporting Food Forward SA.
South Africa (14 July 2020) – Denny Mushrooms is adding some goodness this winter to help feed vulnerable South Africans by supporting Food Forward SA!
Since the beginning of lockdown, Denny has donated many tonnes of mushrooms to shelters and soup kitchens across the country and continues to do so.
Brand Manager of Denny Mushrooms, Samantha McChesney said, “Add goodness to every meal is Denny’s brand purpose. It speaks directly to how we bring goodness to everything we do as a company. It’s about the nutritional value of the products, the love and care that is put into each meal that the consumer prepares and our responsibility to community and planet.”
In true Denny style, added to this is a charity-based initiative https://dennyaddgoodness.co.za/ to rally South Africans to #addgoodness and warmth themselves through a donation drive which will benefit Food Forward SA.
Food Forward SA supports over 1000 beneficiary organisations (BOs) reaching close to 500 000 vulnerable people directly (and an estimated 1,5 million people indirectly) with food parcels to households. Denny’s parent company Libstar is a food partner to the charity.
Since the start of the lockdown at the end of March, FoodForward SA has increased its beneficiary organisation network by 66%, reaching 412,000 people daily through a network of 1,005 BOs. As part of its’ scaling-up operation, the Charity will shortly be adding Limpopo to its’ service area once it takes delivery of a new 14-ton refrigerated truck with an insulated trailer to access the surplus produce from 28,000 farmers and over 1,000 farmer associations as part of its’ recently formed partnerships with AgriSA and the Citrus Growers Association.
“The demand for food relief from people and organisations reaching out to FoodForward SA since the onset of the lockdown has reached unprecedented levels,” comments Food Forward SA Managing Director, Andy du Plessis
“People contacting Food Forward SA say that they need food because they are the main breadwinners who have lost their income and have no money to buy food; or that the food is not lasting, and there is no money to buy more food. Sadly, this will become more prevalent in the coming months as vulnerable peoples’ meagre resources start to erode.”
A recent survey conducted by the credit reporting agency, TransUnion reveals that one in six people in South Africa has lost their jobs since the beginning of the Lockdown. In comparison, one in four people report that their working hours have been reduced. Treasury estimates that about 1,5mn jobs will be lost as a result of COVID-19 and that South Africa’s unemployment rate is rapidly approaching the 50% mark.
The Institute for Risk Management of South Africa (IRMSA) has cautioned that the plight for food has escalated and based on its’ Risk Report released earlier this year highlights the multiple risks associated with widespread food poverty, most notably an increase in social unrest, crime and incidences of malnutrition and related diseases.
“It’s critical that we increase our reach into rural communities across South Africa, so that food poverty does not escalate in these vulnerable communities. Once Limpopo is up and running, we will extend our distribution to include Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape,” concludes Du Plessis.
Through the multi-faceted campaign, Denny is bringing South Africa the ultimate comfort and warmth for the winter while supporting Food Forward SA. Aligned with the brand’s efforts to #AddGoodness across a variety of environments; the campaign is adding goodness through a range of winter comfort activities.
There are distinctly Denny rewards for those who add some winter goodness to the charity. Consumers who heed the call to support Denny in its drive to #AddGoodness stand the chance of being rewarded with a limited edition, bespoke onesie and hamper consisting of a selection of delicious vitamin and mineral-rich Denny mushrooms.
The campaign is in partnership with a leading South African feel-good media title – Good things Guy, as well as five highly influential, warm and fuzzy bloggers who are distinctly into #wintercomforts. They are Fit Like Mummy, Crazy Rio, Just Ella Bella, Modern Zulu Mom and Becoming You. Armed with hoodies and goodies, they will post and share Denny feel-good winter content to activate their followers.
“Adding goodness to every meal has never been more pertinent. It’s winter and there’s Covid-19, which puts even more strain on communities in need. As a company, everything that we are doing – soup kitchens, knitting blankets and increasing donations – is about adding goodness. As a company, each one of us is giving time and capacity to help. In true Denny fashion we are bringing our consumers all with us. We are appealing to them to donate to Food Forward SA and also keep themselves healthy by including mushrooms in their diet,” concludes McChesney.
To #addgoodness and feel #wintercomforts with #Dennymushrooms go to their website, Facebook or Instagram.
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