A 'souper' idea for Mandela Day: Help cook up 67,000l of broth for charity

Chefs With Compassion is on a mission to fight food waste while feeding those in need. Here's how you can join them

08 July 2021 - 07:48 By hilary biller
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Miles Kubheka of SA Harvest (far right) and Alex Torrão of Eighty8’s Food Company (far left) were among those who took part in the Chefs with Compassion #67000litres for Mandela Day Challenge at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg on July 18 2020.
Miles Kubheka of SA Harvest (far right) and Alex Torrão of Eighty8’s Food Company (far left) were among those who took part in the Chefs with Compassion #67000litres for Mandela Day Challenge at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg on July 18 2020.
Image: Christoph Hoffman

In a country where 10m tonnes of food go to waste yet 18m people go hungry every day, Chefs with Compassion’s #67000litres for Mandela Day Challenge is your chance to be part of an initiative that uses good food to do good.

Last year, this non-profit organisation rescued masses of perfectly edible fruit and veg destined for the bin and distributed it to 300 chefs in 10 cities around SA. These chefs banded together on Mandela Day to attempt to cook up 67,000l of soup to provide nutritious meals to those in need.

They smashed this goal serving up a record-breaking 77,455l of soup, which fed 309,820 people.

I was lucky enough to be a part of the 2020 initiative (pictured above) and joined a team in a temporary kitchen set up in the forecourt of Melrose Arch shopping centre in Joburg. Together we chopped mountains of salvaged ingredients, the mood buoyant as we chatted away and stirred giant cauldrons of soup.

Stringent Covid-19 restrictions mean this year’s #67000litres challenge will be a little different: Chefs with Compassion is calling on home cooks to help.

They want you to clear out your pantry and fridge to salvage safe food, add other nutritious ingredients and a good dollop of love, and spend your 67 minutes on Mandela Day cooking up a big pot of soup, which you’ll then deliver to the charity of your choice before 1pm.

To take part, you’ll first need to register online and make a R100 donation to Chefs with Compassion, which they’ll use to continue their charitable works.

Remember to record the amount of soup you make so you can submit the numbers to them, and to take lots of photos and post them on social media with the hashtag #67000litres.

I’ve signed up for the challenge and hope you will too.

See the Chefs with Compassion Facebook page for more info.


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