Tallying the final figure for raised funds for the Bidvest World Chefs Tour held last week revealed that R8-million had been raised by 250 international chefs to help feed hungry children. This will amount to 821 250 meals over five years for needy children.
The Tour, which began on 20 August and ended in with a gala dinner in Johannesburg last week, saw chefs from as far afield as Thailand, the USA, Myanmar, South Tyrol, Russia, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia coming to South Africa to help fight hunger.
This was the third time that World Chefs Tour Against Hunger has been held and was supported this year by Bidvest and Southern Sun in association with SABC3, with Southern Sun providing meals and 200 rooms in 26 hotels around the country. The tour was arranged by the South African Chefs Association (SACA) and the Academy of Chefs, under the auspices of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS).The Tour’s patron is Dr Bill Gallagher, founder of the original event in 1993, and its convenor is Martin Kobald, former SACA president.
“The R8-million that was raised during the tour will used to provide our selected beneficiaries with monthly food donations, which will be provided through the Bidvest group of companies to ensure that we can fulfil our objective of feeding hungry children over a sustained period of time. We would like to thank everyone – from the chefs, to our sponsors to the hundreds of South Africans who dug deep into their pockets to help those in need. The generosity of spirit that we have seen over the last 10 days is truly humbling,” says Kobald.
Proceeds raised during the Tour will be donated to the Akani Diepsloot Foundation, African Children’s Feeding Scheme and Meals on Wheels Community Services, as well as various other nominated regional charities, including Hands At Work in Mbombela, Ubuntu Rescue a Child in East London, Just Us 4 Children in Durban and the Peninsula Feeding Scheme in Cape Town.
Says Graham Wood, MD of Southern Sun Hotels, “As one of Africa’s leading hotel groups, Southern Sun strives to remain a leader in sustainable tourism. The initiative matches our objective of working to make a difference in the lives of South Africans in need and we believe that we have certainly made and will continue to make a difference in the children’s lives.”
Although the chefs have left our shores, the Tour’s fundraising initiatives will continue and companies can still make pledges to the fund through the website – www.worldchefstour.co.za.
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