FoodBank South Africa

There are many advantages of having a national foodbanking system. One is that we can develop a close understanding of our food donors. By doing so and meeting their expectations, we can cultivate trust in our capacity to receive growing volumes of food from them.

We are delighted to have one such close relationship with Nestlé, one of the world’s leading food manufacturers. Nestlé played a part in our formation when the company's former director of corporate communications and public affairs, Theo Mxakwe, served as a Co-Chair of the SA Forum for Food Security, which sparked our formation. Mr Mxakwe then served on FoodBank’s board of members until his relocation overseas with Nestlé last year.

FoodBank welcomes Ravi Pillay onto our board of members.FoodBank is delighted to announce that Mr Mxakwe’s successor, Ravi Pillay, has agreed to serve on FoodBank’s board of members.

But Nestlé’s support for FoodBank extends further than our board of governance. The company is also one of our most important food donors.

Last year Nestlé donated 55 tonnes of food to FoodBank, and this year has already given double that – including one recent donation of 22 tonnes of mostly cereal. This donation was received into our Johannesburg food bank (our logistics allow us to share large donations such as this with our food banks elsewhere when appropriate).

We greatly appreciate this donation, as well as the efforts of our team in Johannesburg, who worked long hours to receive it. We know it will be appreciated even more by the community-based organisations we serve.

“At Nestlé, we understand the genuine need for a national foodbanking system to serve the hungry. We are delighted to support FoodBank South Africa with whatever food we are able to give,” said Mr Pillay. “And I look forward to making a meaningful contribution to FoodBank’s board of members in the years to come.”