Wellington-based non-profit company, Outside The Bowl, recently launched its Hunger Campaign to the public in doing its part to help combat childhood hunger globally.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are now approximately 6 000 to 12 000 people dying of hunger every day and the world’s children are suffering the most.
According to Outside The Bowl Managing Director, Mark Maingard, their aim is to manufacture and provide 500 000 ambient, nutritional meals per day by 2025 and they hope to eradicate hunger by 2030.
“The growing pandemic now sees 7 million people can’t afford to feed themselves daily. This is a crisis and an outrage, and we all need to join forces to fight the hunger pandemic with its vaccine: food,” shares Maingard.
Mark Maingard said the non-profit company’s mission is to help Communities in the Drakenstein valley of the Western Cape. Vulnerable people in the Western Cape as well as vulnerable people and communities in other areas of South Africa, Africa, and the world.
OTB Africa is a full profit food production company that specialises in developing and producing food that is high in nutrition to feed the neediest in our communities.
Outside the Bowl Africa is the NPC, who receives 100% of the profits made by OTB Africa. With this money, Outside the Bowl Africa can feed the hungry.
The journey started with 2nd Harvest NPC in 2016, where after Mark met Jae Evans from OTB Global – their vision is a world in which people are physically and spiritually nourished. From this meeting, OTB Africa was born and 2nd Harvest became Outside the Bowl Africa.
It became the company’s vision to feed 500 000 people daily, not only with a nutritional meal, but also spiritually, and for this reason we have joined hands with Community of Abundance.
Outside The Bowl’s three food manufacturing facilities are located in Wellington, South Africa, serving ECD centres, crèches, soup kitchens, faith based organisations, ministries, municipalities, government institutions and needy communities. These facilities and our partnerships with large food corporations, enables us to procure essential food services at reasonable prices.
In the past two years, they have distributed their products to various countries in Africa and the world and aim to reach many more. Outside The Bowl Africa is working towards building more kitchens in communities around Southern Africa, who need it most.
“Childhood hunger traps children in a cycle of poverty and indigence and we would like to call on other institutions to assist us with funding and support to provide these children with the vital nutrition they need to break this cycle. We aim to provide as many people as possible with a daily nutritional meal, to ensure that they reach their potential and take our nation into the future,” says Maingard.
These kitchens will not only feed the disadvantaged communities with a nutritious meal, but they will create employment opportunities for the youth.
We provide training in various areas, in order to impart the knowledge and skills necessary, for employment and any entrepreneurial endeavours that they may embark on. These include life skills and hospitality training. OTB Africa also partners with other NPC’s to provide products and donations across the African continent.
HUNGER HERO
South Africans can help join Outside The Bowl Africa’s fight to eradicate poverty in the country by donating R50 a month for their Hunger Campaign.
This will ensure a child receives a Vitakidz meal every day for a month. This provides 80% of the nutrition a child needs to survive.
“According to statistics and research, it is forecasted that a further 100 million people may die of hunger worldwide due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Organizations struggle to operate and afford feeding programs, people learn on empty stomachs, not receiving regular or nutritious meals.
“Our dream is slowly becoming a reality, however we need the support and assistance from potential funders, corporates and individuals to help us achieve our goals,” explains Maingard.
Become a HUNGER HERO and help us reach the goal of #zerohunger2030
OTB Africa/Outside the Bowl Africa Links:
Website Outside the Bowl Africa: https://outsidethebowlafrica.org/
Website OTB Africa: http://otbafrica.africa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/outsidethebowlafrica.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otbafricafeeding/
Event Video: https://www.facebook.com/events/537384357660179
Communities of Abundance Links:
Website: https://www.communitiesofabundance.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitiesofabundance/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communitiesofabundance.za/
Donation Link:
https://admin.addpay.co.za/donation/376273ff-efe9-441c-bec1-0b37c6fe00f6
MORE ABOUT OUTSIDE THE BOWL AFRICA
Mark Maingard and Marais Greyling had been working together for a few years. Mark had a dream to feed the hungry and Marais to train disadvantaged youth in hospitality.
Combined with their many years in the catering, food and hospitality industry, they joined forces in 2016.
Mark Maingard was ‘called’ to feed the hungry and Marais Greyling to train disadvantaged youth in hospitality. This was not by chance. It was an intervention and plan that was inevitable. Their journey began on 29 May, 2016, starting with renovating and equipping a derelict facility in Paarl. On 29 July, 2016, the first batch of 200 meals were delivered to Magda’s Soup Kitchen.
