Garden Route Food Pantry

What started as a dream in the pursuit of eradicating hunger, came into fruition with the launch of the Garden Route Food Pantry in February of this year. This is a first of its kind where a District Municipality, Local Municipalities, the Private Sector and a Non-Profit Organisation, work together to alleviate hunger.

The Garden Route Food Pantry is dedicated to the sourcing and manufacturing of food-related products for distribution throughout the Garden Route District.
The Eden Community Hope Outreach NPC (ECHO) was developed in the Garden Route due to the growing demand for food security in one of the most economically challenged regions of the Western Cape.

With a focus on food security, as opposed to hunger relief, our goals are to develop sustainable projects so as to encourage self-sustainability in the battling communities. Our Living Pantry gardening program is one of these projects, which is already taking root.

In order to fight against malnutrition, the food pantry has also embarked on a relationship with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to develop a range of fortified foods, branded as Good4You Foods and produced in the food pantry.

GOOD4YOU Foods

The manufacturing of fortified foods to combat malnutrition. Under license by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, we have scientifically developed recipes in order to provide food that is needed to save lives. The first of these products is our protein biscuit, loaded with high-quality fortification additives and available for distribution across South Africa, and can be exported as dry ingredients into Africa as well.

The Living Pantry

Our community Gardening projects are to assist in the sustainability of food resources. By identifying key locations, training champion gardeners and assisting with setup and running costs, we ensure communities can ultimately feed themselves.
The food pantry will be a constant partner, allowing harvested products to be brought to the pantry and exchanged for additional foods.

Soup Kitchen Voucher
We are currently investigating the options to produce a Soup Voucher system for the public to purchase vouchers, that can be given to people in need and exchanged for soup at a convenient location. The soup will be provided by the Garden Route Food Pantry and will provide an opportunity to create employment as well. (The funds generated will provide for the soup ingredients and the salary of the kitchen manager)

According to Carl van Blerk, Managing Director of the GRFP, the primary mandate of the food pantry is to source food from various local suppliers, manufacturers, and farmers. Also, to be a centralized point where food security needs can be coordinated, while at the same time also serving as a base where fortified products can be processed to fight malnutrition of communities. “This privately run facility does not belong to Government, but must be seen as an efficient facility that belongs to us all. This is why we all need to take ownership and work together to make this dream a reality – whether you are here as a representative of a municipality, a business, a service organization, the media, or just a concerned citizen wanting to make a difference. I am pleading with everyone to take hands, in order for us to approach this as a unified single unit,’’ said Van Blerk.

You can find them on Facebook or at echo.org.za