The Stellenbosch community filled 461 extra tummies after exceeding their target of making 10 000 sandwiches during the “Toasties for Tummies” event held in the Neelsie on 27 July.
The event has been held since 2012 to commemorate International Mandela Day. Stellenbosch students, local businesses and members of the public dedicate their 67 Mandela minutes to making as many sandwiches as possible for the needy during their shift.
The drive aims to raise awareness about food insecurity in Stellenbosch and combat this problem by distributing the sandwiches to 16 beneficiaries throughout the area.
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One of these beneficiaries, the Stellenbosch Municipality’s Disaster Management unit, has been a beneficiary for the past three years and distributes the sandwiches throughout the municipality’s 22 wards.
“Part of our work is creating fire safety awareness – but how do you go empty handed to those in need? So, this is very good gesture from the university [towards the community].
“Annually we partake in this- not just to collect the sandwiches, but also to prepare the sandwiches,” says the head of the unit, Shezayd Seigels, who herself was preparing sandwiches.
“The first year we partook, I was supposed to receive 200 sandwiches and I walked out with 4 000. So this year, I’m just receiving and handing out as many as possible,” she said.
To see a day in the life of a Toastie, watch this:
“We had so many people wanting to help and do their part and spare ingredients that we worked an extra hour,” said the Golden Key Stellenbosch Chapter’s Public Relations officer, Ingrid Vaughan.
“I thought this was a good opportunity for me to give back because I think the 67 minutes for Mandela is a good thing for everyone around the world to help one another. I’ve met a lot of nice people that I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t come here,” says Thembeka Mgwenya, a second year Stellenbosch University commerce student.
The Toasties for Tummies initiative is organised by the Golden Key Stellenbosch Chapter, an international honour society, and Matie Community Service, a non-profit organisation of Stellenbosch University.