South Africa, Let’s End Hunger By Putting A Meal On Someone’s Plate

Meals on Wheels Community Services South Africa has partnered with media houses, including The Coastal, to launch a nationwide campaign aimed at turning awareness of South Africa’s food crisis into sustained action. The partnership goes live today, on World Food Day.

The End Hunger Campaign will leverage the reach of regional and national media including Sunday Times, Sowetan, TimesLIVE and Business Day, to raise awareness of hunger, mobilise donations, and build longer-term partnerships with businesses and communities. Its message is urgent: in a country that produces enough food, too many people still go without a nutritious meal.

Food insecurity is felt at kitchen tables across South Africa. A hungry child struggles to learn. An older person who skips meals may find it harder to manage illness. Parents are forced to choose either food, transportation, electricity, and other essentials as household budgets are increasingly strained to cover essentials.

The 2026 South African Food Security Index reflects that strain. After rising from 44.9% in 2023 to 56.5% in 2024, the national score fell to 52.6% in 2025. The index found household vulnerability at its highest level since 2010, with 14.7% of individuals experiencing hunger.

The impact is not evenly distributed. Rural and female-headed households are among the most vulnerable, while conditions vary widely across provinces. That means effective responses must be rooted in local realities — from coastal towns and metropolitan areas to rural villages and informal settlements.

"Hunger is one of the biggest challenges facing South Africa today. The foot security index, which was released earlier this week, has to nudge all of us to stand up and play our part in helping to end hunger," said Bongani Siqoko, Founder and Publisher of The Coastal.

"As The Coastal we are excited to be part of this national campaign to help mobilise ordinary South Africans and corporates, to join in and help Meals on Wheels during this tough time."

Meals on Wheels has spent more than 60 years building that kind of community-level response. The organization provides cooked meals and food parcels, supports vulnerable households, responds to disasters, and runs practical services to strengthen communities.

“On World Food Day this year, we should resist the comfort of believing that hunger is someone else’s problem. It is a national emergency hiding in plain sight across informal settlements, rural villages, township homes, and, increasingly, households whose incomes no longer stretch to the end of the month,” said Meals on Wheels acting CEO, Effort Bhebhe. “The causes are interconnected. Unemployment and stagnant earnings erode purchasing power, while food budgets must compete with electricity, transportation, and other essential expenses whose costs have risen sharply in recent years.”

In 2024, the organisation delivered more than 70 million meals. In 2026, Meals on Wheels says it has consistently delivered 8.6 million meals a month through 181 core kitchens, more than 800 satellite kitchens, and over 200 delivery vehicles nationwide.

Its work also includes community facilities, container kitchens, gardens, caregiving, home visits, and skills-related support. The aim is to meet immediate needs while helping people and communities become more resilient.

But the organization says civil society cannot close the gap alone. Government, business, and community organizations need to coordinate their efforts, direct resources to the areas of greatest need, and treat food security as a year-round priority rather than a once-off campaign.

The new partnership, which launches on World Food Day, aims to build that momentum, turning public attention into meals, practical support, and sustained partnerships.

How you can help?

Individuals can make one-time or monthly donations to fund meals, ingredients, fuel, and kitchen operations. All you have to do is scan the QR code or click the Meals on Wheels digital adverts to make the donation.

Businesses can sponsor meals, support community kitchens and delivery capacity, donate safe surplus food or essential goods, provide vehicles, equipment, warehousing, or professional skills, and involve employees as volunteers.

Email mealsonwheels@strategyimagineers.com to donate or explore partnership opportunities.

Hunger is not inevitable. Coordinated action can help ensure that no child learns on an empty stomach, no older person is forgotten, and no family faces hunger alone.