Johannesburg Foodbank is the largest Food bank in the province of Gaunteng, managed by the Believers Care Society on behalf of the Gauteng department of Social development. Buyisa Ubuntu means “Bring back Humanity” which perfectly describes the function of our Food Bank Programme. It is designed to address the immediate needs of vulnerable people living in extreme poverty.

Believers Care society extends service to join the War on Hunger and Malnutrition

 Johannesburg Food Bank remains the central food donation warehouse for the Gauteng province, feeding-in to the other regional food banks. A central Gauteng food relief response centre in alleviation of the COVID.19 impact on livelihood and food security, with devastating effects on the poorest of the poor citizens.

With over 114,000 food parcels, cleaning materials and dignity packs distributed to the Poor south Africans in JHB region which includes Child headed household, Elderly headed household, youth headed households and poorest of the poor household, in a period between 31^st march 2020- 31^st August 2020, and still counting.

South Africa has a Millennium Development Goal; to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, the continued high poverty and unemployment rate however threatens the achievement of this goal, with 13.8 million people living without the security of regular meals. In 2017 there were nearly 14 000 service delivery protests across South Africa which is the result of deeper underlying issues such as hunger, unemployment and the rising fuel and food prices.

7.4 million People in South Africa are experiencing hunger and Malnutrition; this is according to report from Statistics South Africa’s 2016 General Household Survey, and Poverty remains both the root cause and consequences of Hunger and malnutrition. Hunger has devastating socio economic implications, about 53 children under the age of five die in South Africa every day,  in 2016 African Demographic Health Survey found that 27% of children under five were stunted, a sign of chronic malnutrition that compromises not only children’s growth but also their cognitive development, education and employment chances, these losses in human potential cost the country an estimated R62‑billion a year — and contribute to an intergenerational cycle of poverty and deprivation.

All of the above are now exacerbated by the impact of COVID.19 which has destabilized the global economy , unlike anything the world have seen before, leaving millions of poor south Africans poorer, helpless and dependent on the Food parcels provided by the Food banks.

If we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 — “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” – by 2030, a concerted deliberate effort is required of all stakeholder towards National food security.