Johannesburg, 19 April 2021. The perfect partner to your celebration, Tastic Rice, continues its journey with Rise Against Hunger, a non-profit organisation that is dedicated to ending world hunger by 2030 in a sustainable manner. This year the purposeful partnership joined hands together with friends of Tastic Rice, volunteers and members of the public to pack 60 000 meals in just 2 days, as they celebrate 60 years of Tastic Rice being in the homes of many South African homes. This formed part of Tastic’s ongoing commitment to provide 6 million meals to families in need through its partnership with Rise Against Hunger Africa since 2019.
The importance of this auspicious day is that a real contribution is being made in addressing hunger. The meals packed were in support of raising awareness about food scarcity and providing nutritious meals for those living in poor and disadvantaged communities.
Food insecurity has been a major challenge globally but when South Africa commenced the hard lock down in March 2020, the situation got even more dire. The government has implemented measures to ease the situation such as increases in social grants, the government relief fund and so forth but they are insufficient to address food poverty associated with a loss of income during the lockdown. The organization has served more than half a billion meals in 78 countries, impacting an estimated 1.8 million people. Roughly 415,000 volunteers have come through their facilities to package meals and play a role in ending hunger.
When asked about the importance of this collaboration Thembi Sehloho, Marketing Director of Pasta and Rice said “This year we are very intentional about our partnerships. We are fundamentally utilising this milestone of 60 years of Tastic Rice to align ourselves with people and organizations that are on the quest of doing great and meaningful work.”
Each meal that is packed contains Tastic Rice, soy protein, and dried vegetables. The plant-based meals contain 20 essential vitamins and nutrients that are key for a child’s development. Rise against hunger’s primary demographic are children especially in early childhood development centres. The nutritious meals that the organisation provides to combat malnutrition is able to assist in preventing irreversible physical and cognitive impairments in these young future leaders.
“The Rise Against Hunger initiative supports well over 66 000 beneficiaries who receive five nutritional meals per week. Nutrition is the basis of a healthy mind and we cannot provide solid nutrients without a significant rice partner. We have come to rely on Tastic Rice as the staple ingredient that is essential in our meal packs,” says Brian Nell, National Operations Manager, Rise Against Hunger.
With the meals provided by Rise Against Hunger and Tastic Rice, children are able to reach their full potential and harness their transitional capabilities that take them from breakfast all the way to dinner. Tastic Rice wants to be there, at every meal and every milestone helping people rise and reach their full potential.
The packing event days began at 10h00 and ended at 14h30 with a total of 60 000 meals packed by media, volunteers and the public in a matter of two days for distribution. The days were an outstanding success and we foresee many more of its kind from the two brands in the year of perfect partnerships and true generosity.
