PRESS RELEASE: DO MORE FOUNDATION (DMF) announces plans for World Food Day this month.

This month the DO MORE FOUNDATION (DMF) plans to celebrate World Food Day with their newest campaign: "Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind".

In honour of World Food Day taking place on October 16, the foundation is planting veggie gardens, making warm chicken meals and donating JoJo tanks to various ECD centres across South Africa through their ‘Heroes’, a term they use to describe their RCL, VECTOR and Rainbow employee volunteers.

They are also calling on donations from corporates which they will use to establish the sustainable food garden, provide the staff with training and tools to maintain the garden and provide ECD centres with their very own JoJo water tanks.

“With your generous contribution, we'll not only provide them with nutritious meals but also teach them the importance of sustainability and self-reliance. You will also receive an S18A certificate for all tax donations,” says Iris Naidoo, Partnerships Manager at the Foundation.

This campaign is set to impact 50 ECD Centres, 23 RCL Food Sites and 5 000 young children across South Africa, including ECD Centres in Linbro Park, Malelane, Midrand, Hammarsdale, Randfontein, Centurion, Wesville, Benoni, Nelspruit, Pretoria West and Rustenburg.

Other ECD Centres which will also be impacted by this campaign are: Tzaneen, Durban North, Pietermaritzburg, Bloemfontein, Wolwehoek, Worcester.

DMF currently provides instant DoMore porridge to 28 000 children aged 0-5 years in Early Child Development (ECD) centres that are across various South African communities – including those in-and-around the RCL FOODS production facility.

“This year, we're on a mission to create lasting change in the lives of young children by establishing sustainable food gardens at ECD centres in need across the country,” she says.

It is estimated that 1,1 million children aged 3-4 years are not in any early learning programme.

Nearly 500,000 of these young children are from under-served communities across South Africa.

Adding that seeing the excitement on the children’s faces as they witness the miracle of their own food gardens taking root outweighs any tax right-off.

“With your donation, we're extending an exclusive invitation for your employees to roll up their sleeves and join us on World Food Day to help establish the food garden and hand over the donated water tank. It's an opportunity for your team to make a tangible impact and foster team spirit,” explains Naidoo.

To date, DMF has launched various National Young Child programmes directed at improving nutrition, early learning and providing parent/caregiver support. The Foundation also facilitates several deep-rooted community-specific development projects to promote universal access to a comprehensive package of quality services to meet young children’s developmental rights and needs as outlined in the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy and Nurturing Care framework.