Company employees boost school food project
A GROUP of dedicated staff of the Empangeni and Richards Bay Woolworths stores rolled up their sleeves to work side-by-side with learners and teachers of Wood and Row Primary School to celebrate World Food Day on Tuesday.
The employees arrived at the school with gardening tools, seeds and compost to improve the school’s permaculture food garden.
Wood and Raw Primary is situated in uMhlathuze Village and has 1 200 learners, of whom 20% are orphans
Richards Bay
Store Manager Andrew Briggs said the school started its food gardening project in 2014 and has attended all the EduPlant programmes.
‘This is a wonderful opportunity for us to be out in the community, join the kids and teach them about permaculture food gardening, while helping them to expand the garden and boost the school’s sustainable food production,’ he said
Briggs explained that Woolworths partnered with the EduPlant Programme 14 years ago to improve food security in various communities across the country. ‘EduPlant is managed by Food and Trees for Africa, the leading food gardening entity in the country. Woolworths employees have been involved over the last two months, volunteering to work at 10 schools across the country.’ Briggs said Woolworths has presented free workshops for teachers to learn permaculture skills and prepare for a biennial schools food garden competition.
‘This school has a flourishing food garden which provides fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit for their feeding scheme, and any surplus is given to vulnerable learners to take home with them.’
A Food and
Trees for Africa representative, Bharathi Tugh, said they brought 15 fruit trees for planting and a good supply of vegetable seeds
Acting school Principal, Thulile Mbonambi, said that vegetables will assist them to boost their existing school nutrition programme.
‘This will help us to have our own fresh fruits and vegetable from our own garden, and we will share some with needy families as well.
‘Our sponsors will also help us to install a water system for irrigation purposes next to our garden,’ she said.