Ancient Japanese origami met South Africa’s national flower in a creative fundraiser to ensure no child goes hungry this summer holiday season.
The Carmen Stevens Foundation’s “Origami Protea Workshop: Fold a Flower, Feed a Child” took place at False Bay Primary School in Macassar on Saturday 25 October. Suzanne du Toit, founder of The Art Yard, taught attendees how to fold pages of books into South Africa’s national flower, the school hall filled with people expressing creativity for a good cause.
The creative fundraiser addresses a critical crisis: thousands of South African children will face 34 days without their only daily meal when schools close for the December holidays. “We are aiming to supply as many children with a food hamper as possible,” founder Carmen Stevens said.
The organisation currently serves more than 25 000 learners with a nutritious breakfast and lunch across 125 schools in 50 Western Cape communities.
Stevens started the non-profit division of her winemaking business in 2011, initially providing cups of soup to learners in her hometown of Belhar.
Today, the foundation faces a sobering reality:
For some of the children, the food that we provide to schools is the only food they get.
The campaign, launched on World Food Day (16 October), aims to pack 2 000 food hampers for the December holidays. Each hamper costs R550 and feeds a family of four to five people for two weeks (“Food relief campaign starts“, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 16 October).
The foundation needs community support to reach its goal. Donations can be made through the Carmen Stevens Foundation website, all the proceeds going directly towards feeding children.
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