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 Mohamed (Mo) Kajee was appointed Managing Director of FoodBank South Africa (FoodBank) in December. Alan Gilbertson remains a Director of FoodBank and the voluntary Managing Director of the FoodBank Foundation.
Alan chatted to Mo about FoodBank and his plans for the year ahead.
Alan: Welcome aboard, Mo. Have you had time to hone your vision for FoodBank?
Mo: Thanks, Alan. It's amazing how quickly this great project gets into your blood! In urban South Africa, my vision is for FoodBank to 'upscale' its Food Rescue and Food Procurement programs. By opening new food banks and growing existing ones, we can reach many more hungry people.
In rural South Africa, FoodBank can make a much, much bigger contribution. By helping to make small farmers viable - an effort we've recently kick started - we can create jobs and new sources of food.
Alan: What do you hope to achieve in 2012?
Mo: Firstly, sustainability. FoodBank had a tough year financially in 2011. Perhaps we can explain, in a future newsletter, our joint plans to ensure that never happens again.
Secondly, we aim to expand the foodbanking network. We launched a new branch in Polokwane last month and will open in Rustenburg in February. We're also partnering with Technoserve to open a new rural food bank in Jozini in KwaZulu Natal.
Finally, we'd like to grow our partnerships. These partnerships are essential to ensure that we are not just another hunger relief effort but a genuinely national solution. Our relationships with food donors such as Pick n Pay, Nestle, Pioneer, Unilever, Fruit and Veg City, Heinz and Tiger Foods are self-evidently critical.
But the partnership concept goes much further. We're actively working with the national government so that we complement their food security efforts. We're reaching out to other NGOs to explore synergies and ensure that we do not compete. We can be a great marketing partner, too - as exemplified by the successful Hampers Against Hunger campaign, in which we partnered with Pick n Pay and the Avusa Group. Last but not least, we hope to increasingly partner with caring South Africans, hoping that they'll be part of FoodBank by joining our Fill the Gap membership club.
This year, all at FoodBank will work diligently to find ways to help more hungry people on a sustainable basis.
Alan: Thanks and good luck, Mo!
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