Feedback Food Security & Community Development Programme

In order to accomplish these goals, Feedback delivers food donations to select community-based organizations, allowing them to focus on the service they deliver to the community. Support is further provided for these organizations to achieve sustainability and food security on their own. Beneficiary organizations are selected through an application and evaluation process. Once the beneficiary organization is incorporated into the programme, they receive food aid on a regular basis for a 12-month period after which time their progress, in terms of overall development, and need for continued food aid, is assessed. Feedback holds health and nutrition workshops to ensure that dietary needs are met, and needs analysis workshops to identify, share and develop solutions for the various challenges faced by organizations in establishing food security. Feedback also conducts organizational development workshops once every quarter. Topics include how to structure/manage an organization, basic accounting, constitutions, registering as an NPO, and conflict resolution. Once NPO status is achieved, Feedback withdraws their involvement, but continues to monitor the beneficiary organization for a period of 12 months. The programme is designed to take place over a period of 3 years with food aid gradually being reduced as the sustainability of the beneficiary organization develops.

Innovation

This project uses food otherwise destined for already overflowing landfill sites to inspire community development. Food is not provided as a handout but is part of a long-term upliftment process. Feedback targets grassroots community organizations with little or no support, and certainly no means of transport to collect food donations. Food is delivered to them, allowing them to focus on the services they offer to their community.

Effectiveness

More than 200 community organizations, assisting a total of approximately 24,000 individuals, receive food support and are responsible for preparing nutritious meals. Food donors provide over 3.5 million kg of food annually. Over the past 7 years of Feedback’s operation beneficiary organizations prepared and served more than 14 million healthy meals per year, 338 representatives from Feedback’s beneficiary organizations have attended practical nutrition workshops, 33 representatives have attended needs analysis training, 12 organizations have received food gardening training, and 23 beneficiary organizations have achieved food security, are sustainable, and no longer reliant on Feedback for food donations. Participant evaluations of workshops, site visits to beneficiary organizations and evaluations ensure that progress toward food security and sustainability takes place. At present, Feedback is able to provide food at a rate of 36cents/meal. In 2006 the Community Development manager, Nomakula Mrubata was a finalist in the Nestlé Community Nutrition Awards for her work. In 2003, Feedback’s founder, Bianca du Plessis, was named Shoprite/Checkers Woman of the Year in the Community Development category.

Poverty Impact

The project addresses hunger, malnutrition, the lack of nutritional knowledge, and the lack of food preparation and planning skills in poor communities. It also addresses the lack of organization and sustainability in grassroots CBOs that contribute to improving the quality of life in the poor areas. Through Feedback, thousands of people have consistently eaten nutritious meals in addition to the various services provided by beneficiary organizations.

Sustainability

Feedback’s budget for the current financial year is R5,836,173. In 2003, the Western Cape Department of Social Services provided Feedback with funding to purchase a food-delivery truck. Feedback has partnerships to secure in-kind support from the Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal, the Department of Agriculture in the Western Cape and Mzundi in KwaZulu-Natal. 100% of the project’s funding comes from private sources including Corporate Social Investment funds and individual donations. At present, Feedback can deliver food at 36cents/meal. Feedback has been able to secure long-term funding relationships. The project is currently promoting their 5000 Campaign with the aim of securing 5000 individuals each donating R50.00 per month.

Replication

Feedback is a succesful model that can be replicated in any urban or semi-urban area. It is not suited to extreme rural areas as excess food is not readily available for redistribution. Replication has already taken place successfully in Durban and Pietermaritzburg and is set to take place in Johannesburg. The biggest constraint is access to funding.

Partnerships

•     KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health (food to hospital wards)
•     Department of Agricultural Affairs (in-kind support)
•     Department of Social Services (food-delivery truck)
•     Mzundzi (collaborator)