By Lilja Flohr
Driven by the need to address food insecurity, an organisation, Rise Against Hunger, collaborated with several Stellenbosch University (SU) communities at Helshoogte Mens’ Residence on Friday, 17 April, where students gathered to pack meals for affected communities. The volunteers were assigned to a production line, where everyone had a specific task and carried it out continuously throughout the event.
The participating SU communities included Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ), the EMS Faculty Student Committee (EBSK), the ladies’ residence Monica, the BA Student Committee (BASC), and Helshoogte.
They were aiming to pack “around 96 boxes”, which will translate to about “26 000 meals” and collectively “feeding 155 children every single day of the academic year”, said Gavin Gerrits, one of the representatives of Rise Against Hunger at the event. They “make sure as much as possible that there’s zero waste”, he said, explaining that leftover food from tables is collected and donated to animal shelters.
Mothepana Olerato Omofentse Sejosengoe, third-year BAcc student and transformation representative of the EBSK, was one of the lead co-ordinators. She explains how she got the idea when she “attended a meal-packing event last year” and “had a really good experience, so much so that I knew I had to bring that experience to my own faculty”.
“I have always believed that we can do so much more together than we can apart,” she said, saying the collaboration “wasn’t just about logistics, it was about community” and a “shared sense of purpose”. For Sejosengoe, the project showed that when groups work together, “the tangible change we bring to the community is far more meaningful”.
“This entire initiative started as an idea from one person, and then it just grew,” explained Justin de Villiers, third-year student (BSc (Geoinformatics)) and social impact house committee (HC) member of Helshoogte, highlighting that “students have that power; they can make a difference”. He notes that challenges included “booking the venue and then communication between the organisers, the NGO, as well as the student-based committees”, but stresses that such initiatives build community and show that students “can make a difference” when they work together toward a shared goal.
“Involving residences, societies and organisations, we were able to share ideas and collectively respond in a way that felt meaningful” and that “helped build a sense of unity and shared purpose across campus”, adds Tazkiyyah Dollie (final-year LLB student). She further explains that SLSJ aims to align its work with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on collaboration and creating initiatives that bring different groups together.
For Dollie, “food insecurity speaks directly to issues of justice, rights and equality” as “access to food is closely connected to dignity and basic human rights”. She adds that the event contributes to SU’s efforts by “directly providing meals and mobilising student involvement” and helps to bridge “legal theory and lived reality”.
The initiative was a “hands-on extension of the university’s commitment to student wellness and social impact,” Sejosengoe said, noting that it moves beyond discussion to “actively contributing to the nutritional security” of the community. She hopes it becomes a “catalyst for awareness and gratitude”, showing students they can create change without a large platform.
Even though the meal target was not fully met, with 19 440 meals packed, Dollie emphasises that “success isn’t just about the numbers”, but about encouraging reflection on justice and inequality. Students should stay engaged with campus initiatives and, if they have ideas, “pitch it to your societies”, said de Villiers.
