67,000 litres of soup equal 268,000 cups of compassion on Mandela Day

South Africa – A total of 67,000 litres of soup is more than just a hearty, nourishing cup of soup for thousands of hungry people – it’s 268,000 cups of kindness, prepared with compassion by more than 300 chefs in 10 cities in the spirit of Madiba’s call to ‘take action to inspire change’.

SA Harvest and Chefs with Compassion, two organisations rooted in a philosophy of rescuing food to provide meals to the most vulnerable in our society, rose to Madiba’s call through the collective action of hundreds of chefs who are doing what they love to do as part of the #67000litres for Mandela Day cook-a-thon.

In 10 cities – Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, Bloemfontein, Mokopane, Rustenburg, Vereeniging, Port Elizabeth and Nelspruit – a hearty, nutritious soup was cooked with compassion and care by chefs from restaurants, hotels, cooking schools and catering operations to provide meals for 268,000 people.

Says Chefs with Compassion national project manager chef Coo Pillay: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from chefs, sponsors, markets and suppliers all over South Africa. The spirit of Mandela is alive and well in the hospitality industry, despite the challenges we are facing.” Since 6 April, Chefs with Compassion has provided meals to more than 400,000 people through its extensive network of compassionate chefs.

Says SA Harvest operations manager Ozzy Nel: “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 13 million South African men, women and children went to bed hungry. Now it's 18 million!” Since lockdown began, SA Harvest has delivered 1.7 million meals to a range of beneficiaries who feed hungry people daily.

Chefs with Compassion press release extracts, 15 July 2020