Chefs with Compassion (CWC) has been a beacon of hope for countless families facing the harsh reality of food insecurity. This remarkable group of cooks and volunteers has rescued nearly two million tons of food that would have otherwise gone to landfills and transformed it into over 7.5 million nourishing meals for the hungry in South Africa.
Johannesburg, South Africa (30 January 2025) – Millions of South Africans struggling to put food on the table have been greatly supported by the collaborative food rescue group Chefs with Compassion (CWC).
Thanks to this remarkable group of culinary masters with the biggest hearts, 7,500,000 meals have been distributed to hungry people in food-vulnerable areas all over the country, using nearly two million tons of donated food that would otherwise have gone to waste!
According to the South African Food Security Index 2024 the country’s food security plummeted to its lowest levels in more than a decade.
The Index indicates that, on average, more South Africans are experiencing greater levels of food deprivation than any year since records began in 2012. It’s no wonder then that feeding programmes are seeing more demand than ever.
Feeding thousands every week
Founded during the heart of lockdown in May 2020, CWC operates through a network of compassionate chefs, cooks and community caterers who feed thousands of people every week. For most of these men, women, and children, the meals they receive through Chefs with Compassion’s network of kitchens are the only meals they eat in a day.
More than 10 million tonnes of food go to waste every year in South Africa. It’s a shocking fact – one-third of all the food produced in SA is waste – which is more than enough to feed every one of the 19 million people going hungry across the country. It is CWC’s mission to rescue and redirect as much of this perfectly good food as possible!
Through its network of community cooks, caterers, and compassionate chefs, CWC cooks nourishing meals for vulnerable people who need food, ensuring that the cooked food reaches the people who need it most through its approved beneficiary organisations.
A significant milestone!
To date, the organisation has delivered 7,545,488 meals to food-vulnerable communities, in the process using 1,911,746 tons of perfectly good food that would otherwise have been discarded.
Working with an expansive network of around 30 organisations supported by Chefs with Compassion, consisting mostly of volunteers that are supported by Chefs with Compassion, this amazing work has only been possible thanks to corporate donations and by rescuing food that would otherwise have gone to waste.
“Food poverty is a heartbreaking and pressing concern in our country. At SYSPRO we have chosen to be actively involved in making a difference. SYSPRO is proud to support Chefs with Compassion in their goal of providing nutritious meals to those in need, and we look forward to working with them during 2025 to reach an even bigger number of meals served,” says Mark Wilson, Chief Revenue Officer, SYSPRO.
How to get involved
Food security and hunger are crises that cannot be solved alone. Members of the public who would like to support Chefs with Compassion, either through a once-off or recurring monthly donation, can do so via their website at https://cwc.org.za/donate.
For more information on how to get involved or support Chefs with Compassion, email info@cwc.org.za.
Sources: Supplied
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