For most South Africans, the Durban July is all about race horses and revelry, glitz and glamour, fashion and famous people, punting and parties (in this case, the mother of all after-parties). But for the staff of FoodBank in Durban, it spells one thing: opportunity – the opportunity to recover vast quantities of quality food otherwise destined for the dump.
This year and last year, FoodBank has collected excess food from the country’s premier horse-racing event, which pulls a crowd of 50 000 people and rakes in about R120 million in bets.
As with other big public events, food plays an integral part. For the Durban July, caterers prepare tons and tons of food to be served throughout the day in hospitality suites and the Marquee Village. And, as always, loads of food is left over. If it wasn’t for FoodBank, this food would go to waste.
This year, FoodBank collected 2,339 kilograms of food – that’s more than two tons – untouched and ready to be served!
The theme for this year’s July was “A Right Royal Affair” and though this applied to the fashion, it extended to the food. From canapés and cocktail snacks to roast beef and vegetables; chicken and lamb curry to decadent desserts, it was food fit for royalty.
At FoodBank, it gives us great joy to give the very best to our agencies. Beneficiaries appreciate and deserve the best quality as much as the rest of us do.
A lot of planning went into FoodBank’s food collection effort ahead of the event. FoodBank food sourcer Ntomby Ngema got buy-in from as many caterers as possible; suitable containers – 60 x 20-litre and 525 x 5-litre plastic buckets – were purchased; hair nets, gloves and aprons for 16 staff members were sourced; and FoodBank was allocated a marquee of its own (thanks to Event World), not only to serve as a collection point, but also for brand building and promotional purposes.
FoodBank’s Durban team worked from 9am on Saturday through to 1am on Sunday to ensure that as much food as possible was recovered, sorted and delivered to the warehouse cold room, ready for distribution the following day.
“There was such a great atmosphere of unity in our tent. When we got tired, togetherness pulled us through. It was by far the best weekend of my life. I saw people giving wholeheartedly and the joy and appreciation of the beneficiaries,” said Loretta Ntsuka, who works in the fundraising team at FoodBank’s national office in Cape Town.
To the FoodBank team in Durban: well done for going the extra mile! You do us proud.
