The Val de Vie Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports people in under-resourced communities in the Paarl-Franschhoek Valley, is collaborating with multiple stakeholders in a response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thousands of people in the Valley are unable to work, have lost their jobs or can't get to feeding schemes during the lockdown, with the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) reporting that the need for relief has tripled during this time.
In a response to the Foundation requesting support from Val de Vie Estate residents, generous donations were given to the fund both in monetary value and as volunteers, enabling the distribution of household food parcels to the most desperate people. The Foundation is partnering with our Social Investment Managers, Valcare, and a host of credible organisations, to help provide and pack thousands of vetted food parcels to the most vulnerable communities within the region.
The food parcels are distributed in close partnership with 43 of Valcare’s non-profit member organisations and 68 of Inceba Trust’s Early Childhood Development centres, who are already operational in communities of the Cape Winelands. The organisations had to register their network’s food needs and go through a criteria process to ensure that the recipients are a priority.
The communities where the parcels will be distributed will stretch from Mbekweni, New Rest, Wellington, Lantana, Chicago, Klapmuts, Simondium and Gouda, depending on the availability of funds.
The goal is to raise R4 375 000 million to enable the distribution of 2500 household food parcels per month, for five months up until August 2020. The project will, however, be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
The Val de Vie Foundation, The Aslan Trust and The Hanneli Rupert Getuienis Trust - three of Valcare’s core funders - have generously committed to match the total funding received from the public.
Ryk Neethling, Val de Vie Estate Marketing Director, and Shareholder commented: “The Val de Vie Foundation’s ethos has always been to leave a lasting, positive impact on the larger community. We realise that the need in our community during these unprecedented times is great, and the way our residents have opened their hearts and their wallets are inspiring.”
After the first week of operations on 18 April 2020, R1 168 994 funds were raised, with 528 food parcels and vouchers distributed to 2222 beneficiaries. In addition, Val de Vie Estate had 47 residents volunteer their time to pack, sort and sanitise the parcels, and multiple companies have sponsored goods in kind to support the response plan.
“We are encouraged by the generosity and sacrifices of many people so far, but we realise that we have a long way to go. We need everyone who is able to give or assist in any way, to contribute to the COVID-19 fund to ensure that as many people as possible don’t go hungry,” says Ivan Swartz, CEO of Valcare.
Miss World 2014, a medical doctor and Val de Vie Estate resident, Rolene Strauss, has also added her plea for donations to the fund, by sharing on her social media channels, “so many families are affected by COVID-19 and it breaks my heart to think that families with children are going to bed hungry. We are all affected by this, your support (however big or small) will make a difference. I urge you to find and support those organisations around you who are assisting the vulnerable.”
The Foundation’s COVID-19 Fund is coordinated in partnership with Valcare, Inceba Trust, Jak1:27, The Aslan Trust and The Hanneli Rupert-Getuienis Trust.
For more information on ways to donate, please go to https://valdeviefoundation.co.za/covid-19-val-de-vie-foundation/
