Ladles of Love has announced that with World Sandwich Day around the corner, it's time for South Africans to send their sarmie-making squads to the popular annual Ladles of Love Sarmiethon, taking place in Cape Town and Johannesburg on Friday, 1 November.
Now in its fifth year, the Sarmiethon will once again unite volunteers and donors around the goal of distributing a whopping 75 000 sandwiches to those in need, according to the organisation.
Ladles of Love says that the campaign is backed by Coronation Fund Managers, as well as Anchor Yeast, Blue Ribbon and Rhodes Quality, but the organisers are looking for more corporates to enter teams, either at Maker's Landing in the V&A Waterfront or AtEds in Houghton, Johannesburg.
"For every team entry, apart from the 'feel-good' sandwich-making experience, the donation will enable our Ladles of Love Nourish Our Children programme to provide food for two healthy meals a day to 2500 small children at pre-schools in impoverished communities," says Sarmiethon organiser Alison McCutcheon.
"This year's Sarmiethon campaign focuses on the connection between nutrition and learning, with donations of sandwiches and nutrient-rich food going to 62 pre-schools in the Western Cape, Gauteng and the Northern Cape. So, it's really important that other corporates join us in volunteering and donating to the campaign so that we can reach more children who need good nutrition to reach their full learning potential," says Coronation Group's Head of Marketing Wisahl Ganief.
How to Enter
Team booking options include one team of 10 for a four-hour slot, or two teams of 10 for a two-hour slot, according to the organisation. It costs R25 000 per team entry and 18A Tax certificates can be issued for participation.
The team package includes all ingredients, hospitality and branding. Teams can enter here, contact Alison McCutcheon via email or WhatsApp her on 082 554 9926.
According to Ladles of Love, 2024 will see fun prizes issued for the best-dressed team, the team with the most 'gees' and the team who made the most sandwiches.
Anyone can keep donating to the ongoing Nourish the Children programme by making a once-off or monthly donation, the organisation says. A donation of R250 helps feed a little child two nutritious meals daily for a month.
Ladles of Love accepts all major credit and debit cards, monthly debit orders, Snapscan, Masterpass, Paypal, EFT and even Bitcoin. Donors are also able to set up debit orders via the Ladles of Love website.
"The reality is that an estimated 30 million people or more, or just about half of people in South Africa, are food insecure. Join us, South Africa, and let's see what we can do to help," says Ganief.
"The Unicef Child Food Poverty report states that 1.5 million children under five years old In South Africa suffer undernutrition, and the long-term effects of this are devastating. Our nutrition programme at pre-schools is ensuring over 6 500 small children are receiving the healthy food they need to develop and grow as they should. We see the impact of daily nutrition and it is life-changing for these little ones," concludes Danny Diliberto, Founder and CEO of Ladles of Love.
For more information, visit www.ladlesoflove.org.za. You can also follow Ladles of Love on Facebook, X, or on Instagram.
*Image courtesy of Facebook