The Shoprite Group is committed to #ActForChange by taking hands with local organisations to respond to the needs of communities. Our meaningful partnerships with Sustainable Community Projects fight hunger and ultimately help build stronger, better connected communities.
We support numerous food gardens in every province of South Africa, giving almost 5 000 people access to fresh, nutritious produce. Learn more about these inspirational projects ...
Western Cape
We support 4 food gardens in the Western Cape, including our very first project, Greenlands Primary's Food Garden. This food garden at a primary school in Bishop Lavis, just outside Cape Town, produces four tons of fresh produce a year and benefits 950 people. Watch the video below to see the impact.
We're also proud to partner with Iris House Children's Hospice in Bellville which cares for children with disabilities and Lily Haven Old Age Home in Bonteheuwel. Both these projects have grey water systems installed to save water and lower their monthly water bill by reusing water for irrigation.
Eastern Cape
There's not that many people like Patricia Piyani out there. She started Wathint' Abafazi as a crèche because she doesn't want any children to suffer and go hungry. Today 150 people benefit from her project.
Empelweni Community Garden, at the foot of the Windvogelberg Mountains in the Eastern Cape, is run by the elders of a village called Empumelelweni. A third of the population of the village is children as most adults work in the surrounding cities, leaving the grandparents to look after them. The garden supplements their income and saves travelling time and money to visit the nearby town of Queenstown to buy fresh produce.
KwaZulu-Natal
Seed of Hope began in 1989 to help relieve poverty in the KwaDukuza community. Ds Simon Kwesaba is running this project which consists of a small crèche and now includes a vegetable garden. They roughly feed about 70 people a day, which includes the children at the crèche as well as seniors in need. Our implementation partner, Food and Trees For Africa, will help with the upgrade of the garden to also include a water tank and irrigation system to produce vegetables to feed up to 140 people.
Gauteng
Suthani Community Garden, located in Alexandra, was established in 2011 by the community to alleviate poverty and to fight hunger.
We are helping to fight hunger in the Winterveldt area through a partnership with Ekukhuseleni Tshireletso hospice, a project founded in 2004 by Dr Russel Marivate, which provides, among other medical services, palliative care to people affected by HIV/Aids. The hospice started a small food garden and poultry farm to feed patients and the larger community.
Supa Dimama Senior Citizen Centre in Ivory Park, Midrand wants every elderly person in their community to feel important and needed, get good care to have memorable last days. We assisted this organization on Mandela Day to set up a sustainable food garden to help with the need and challenges of the elderly people and their grandchildren.
The newly established garden in Reiger Park, Boksburg will help Community Crisis Centre, which is a care centre for orphaned and vulnerable children and child headed households, with their food needs.
Free State
Northern Cape
Readira Soup Kitchen in Kimberley benefits 350 people by providing nutritious meals to community members with a focus on elderly people.
Tirisanommogo Home Based Care in Kuruman wants their food garden to flourish so that they can donate fresh vegetables to their 150 patients while doing door to door visits.
Limpopo
Mamotho Development Forum is an NPO in Mamotintane village outside Mankweng township. Their two core community activities are home based care and vegetable gardening that benefits 60 people.
Phela O Phedisa, situated close to the University of Limpopo, was started in 2009. Our implementation partner, Food and Trees For Africa, assisted in installing solar panels for the pump of their boreholes, supplied tools and equipment, planting material and additional training to the eager gardeners.
North West
Mokaila Community Project is situated in the small village, Letlhogori, Mafikeng. Their community food garden has 6 community members, including the principal of Mokaila Primary School and learners from the small school. The garden was established to supply the village as they are located very far from town. The team of passionate, dedicated individuals enjoy what they do and helps 300 needy people from their community.
Nthabiseng Skills Training Centre for the Disabled, outside Rustenburg offers skills activities and meals to children with disabilities.
Retshewenyegile Home Based Care provides home-based care services for sick people and support for their vulnerable family members. Their programme includes a vegetable garden with the aim to cook for the children. The garden also allows them to take fresh vegetables home and to share with their neighbours.
The Jericho Project near Brits is a small farming enterprise that supports their community with vegetable donations towards funerals. They also sell their vegetables at the local market for extra income.
Mpumalanga
Our implementation partner, Food and Trees For Africa, is helping the The Jabez Crèche in Ximhungwe near Bushbuckridge, to upgrade their vegetable garden by providing additional training, gardening tools, plant materials and waterwise solutions.
Lillydale Home Based Care in Ehlanzeni outside Nelspruit was started by a group of women who delivered food parcels to bedridden community members - out of their own pocket. Soon after they started collecting seeds and equipment from neighbouring gardens to create their own sustainable garden. They also bake 120 loaves of bread daily.
In Acornhoek, Bushbuckridge you will find Tiyimiseleni Home Based Care which provides home-based care services for sick people and support for their vulnerable family members - bathe them, cook for them, clean their houses and ensure that they adhere to their treatment regimens. This large scale food garden indirectly benefits the whole community by contributing to the food security of 915 local pensioners who look after 593 orphans and vulnerable children in the area.
We are proud to partner with our implementation partners Food and Trees For Africa and Urban Harvest who help us #ActForChange in these communities.
