Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has updated national poverty lines for 2021. Three poverty lines are tracked. The primary purpose being a statistical tool to measure money metric poverty.

The ‘Food Poverty Line (FPL) also referred to as the ‘Extreme Poverty Line’ measures the amount of money an individual needs to afford the minimum required daily energy intake. 13.8 million South Africans are living below that line. In other words, without access to alternative food sources such as food kitchens, school meals, organizations directly addressing hunger alleviation, or subsistence crop gardens, for example, 13.8 million South Africans are starving to death. This is R624 per person per month.

The ‘lower-bound Poverty Line’ (LBPL) refers to the food poverty line plus the average amount derived from non-food items of households whose total expenditure is equal to the food poverty line. The (LBPL) is R890 per person per month.

The ‘Upper-Bound Poverty Line’ (UBPL) refers to the food poverty line plus the average amount derived from non-food items of households whose food expenditure is equal to the food poverty line. That figure is R1335 per person per month and 30.4 million South Africans live below that line, more than half the mid-year 2021 population estimate of 60.14 million people.

These are not merely numbers. They are people. The situation is alarming and needs to be addressed. This is one reason that NPO’s and organizations like Food 4 Futures – Ithemba Le Kamva addressing hunger alleviation at a grassroots level play such a significant role in the lives of South African families.

If you can assist Food 4 Futures – Ithemba Le Kamva, please use the donate button.

All numbers were released by Statistics South Africa.

Below is a link to the original article in BusinessTech published on 9th September 2021.

There has been such a terrible series of linked events that have led to the crisis we see around us now, and it really is a crisis.

Lack or loss of employment has led to a lack of food security, leading to so many other tragedies that are facing our society. Some desperate people may turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the hopelessness. Others may turn to crime to try to make ends meet and feed themselves and their loved ones, and others try to make ends meet in novel ways, for example, those young entrepreneurs who create things to sell, or hawk fruits and vegetables wherever they can. Another good example is the company of car guards who are working so hard to become as legitimate as possible, building a society of trusted guards to earn whatever they can.

But the lack of food security still hangs over most. No matter how well a day went, the thought foremost in so many minds, is "Will there be food for my family today?"

This is where Food4Futures tries to help as much as we can, by giving people a bit of food security in the short term, they are able to focus on getting themselves onto their feet in one way or another.

Our aim is to add new people to the distribution list as those who are currently on it become able to support themselves. But even with that food security, there is a new challenge as the season changes cold becomes a new foe; shack fires become more common, and loss of life becomes an ever increasing risk.

Because of these dangers, Food4Futures - Ithemba Le Kamva is collecting as many winter clothes and blankets as we can, so that we can distribute the items among those in our community who need them most.

As we go through life, so many of us tend to lose sight of the people around us; those men and women who make the world safer, brighter, cleaner, and kinder through their actions behind the scenes.

A good example would be the men and women who guard the parked vehicles in Makhanda. no matter the weather or time of day, they work tirelessly to care for the vehicles in their charge, washing them, and guarding them against opportunistic thieves. Helping drivers carry and offload groceries, aiding the elderly to and from their vehicles, guiding drivers in and out of tight spots. Come rain or shine, heatwaves or cold snaps, nothing stops these dedicated men and women from giving their all.

These men and women rely heavily on the generosity of those they serve, and yet they find themselves pushed aside, sent away, scolded, degraded, and rejected on a daily basis.

Why?

Because not everyone trusts that the Car Guards will spend the money they earn on necessities. The concern is generally that the money will be spent on drugs or alcohol.

Food4Futures-Ithemba Le Kamva has a solution!

Now even the most cautious of us can help those in need in our community without being concerned that their money will be used to fund an addiction.

With the Parking4Parcels initiative, you can purchase a booklet of 10 tickets which can be redeemed at Food4Futures' for a food parcel to the value of the ticket or for a larger parcel to a higher value if the person redeeming them has multiple tickets.

These tickets provide those who really need food with a way to feed themselves and have already been making a huge impact on our community.

Since we began the initiative in November 2021, we have already redeemed tickets to the value of R3950, and we redeem more every day. The men and women who come to redeem the tickets always leave with such joy and gratitude that there can be no doubt of the positive impact this initiative has had on their lives.