Latest news with #CooPillay
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Chefs with Compassion breaks record with 142 462 litres of soup for Mandela Day
In a powerful display of national compassion, Chefs with Compassion has smashed all previous records in its sixth annual Mandela Day initiative, cooking a staggering 142 462 litres of soup, enough to feed 609 848 people across South Africa. The 2025 edition of the #67000litres for Mandela Day campaign brought together culinary schools, community kitchens, corporates, chefs, and volunteers to transform surplus food into nourishment for people in need. 'This year's success has been phenomenal,' said Chef Coo Pillay, founding director of Chefs with Compassion and president of SA Chefs. 'We exceeded last year's total by almost 40 000 litres. A standout contributor was the Tsebo Group, whose nationwide involvement added over 24 000 litres to our total. Their commitment shows what's possible when an organisation truly embraces compassion.' Chefs with Compassion's 32 active hubs – community kitchens that cook with compassion year-round – contributed more than 80 000 litres, testament to their growing strength and preparedness. These unsung heroes, who serve their communities daily, were the backbone of this record-breaking effort. 'Chefs with Compassion is rooted in food rescue,' said Hanneke van Linge, founding director of CWC and founder of Nosh Food Rescue. 'Mandela Day is our most visible moment, but for the people in our network, this work never stops. Feeding over 600 000 people with food that would otherwise go to waste is not only possible, it's powerful. It's proof of what we can do when compassion drives collective action.' Corporate partners played a pivotal role, including: Tsebo Group (all kitchens countrywide, 24 000 litres) Marriott International (14 hotels) Bon Hotels, The Capital Hotel Group, Southern Sun, and Indaba Hotel Ster-Kinekor, who cooked alongside Chef Keegan Maistry at Guvon Academy Primedia Head Office and Primedia Broadcasting Essity, who cooked soup and donated sanitation supplies Premier, who donated 2 500 loaves of bread The Poultry Industry, led by Melinda Shaw via the Poultry Bulletin, which donated over 5 tonnes of chicken from Rainbow, Astral, and Country Bird Holdings, representing R67 000 worth of chicken from each of the three companies, as well as Nulaid, with a donation of 670 dozen eggs in Johannesburg and in Cape Town Turn & Slice, whose generous fresh produce donation helped stock kitchens across the country The Paul and Humile Mashatile Foundation, which contributed financially and cooked alongside Chef Moses Moloi Compass Insurance, who donated 1,000 blankets Rebel, who donated safety shoes for all 32 CWC hubs Chefs such as Moses Moloi, Napo Ramaili and Thabo Letsholo, who cooked alongside corporate sponsors
IOL News
2 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Chefs with Compassion breaks record with 142 462 litres of soup for Mandela Day
In a powerful display of national compassion, Chefs with Compassion has smashed all previous records in its sixth annual Mandela Day initiative, cooking a staggering 142 462 litres of soup, enough to feed 609 848 people across South Africa. The 2025 edition of the #67000litres for Mandela Day campaign brought together culinary schools, community kitchens, corporates, chefs, and volunteers to transform surplus food into nourishment for people in need. 'This year's success has been phenomenal,' said Chef Coo Pillay, founding director of Chefs with Compassion and president of SA Chefs. 'We exceeded last year's total by almost 40 000 litres. A standout contributor was the Tsebo Group, whose nationwide involvement added over 24 000 litres to our total. Their commitment shows what's possible when an organisation truly embraces compassion.' Chefs with Compassion's 32 active hubs – community kitchens that cook with compassion year-round – contributed more than 80 000 litres, testament to their growing strength and preparedness. These unsung heroes, who serve their communities daily, were the backbone of this record-breaking effort. 'Chefs with Compassion is rooted in food rescue,' said Hanneke van Linge, founding director of CWC and founder of Nosh Food Rescue. 'Mandela Day is our most visible moment, but for the people in our network, this work never stops. Feeding over 600 000 people with food that would otherwise go to waste is not only possible, it's powerful. It's proof of what we can do when compassion drives collective action.' Corporate partners played a pivotal role, including:
IOL News
6 days ago
- General
- IOL News
Chefs with Compassion breaks Mandela Day soup record, serving over 600 000 meals
Chefs with Compassion has made history this Mandela Day by preparing 142 462 litres of soup, providing over 609 000 warm meals to communities in need across South Africa. Chefs with Compassion (CWC), the organisation known for turning surplus food into meals, has made history with its 2025 Mandela Day initiative, cooking up an unprecedented 142 462 litres of soup, nearly 40 000 litres more than its 2024 total. This translates into over 609 000 warm meals shared with communities in need across the country. The annual '67000litres for Mandela Day' campaign unites community kitchens, chefs, culinary students, corporates, and volunteers with one mission: to feed the nation using food that would otherwise be wasted. 'This year's success has been phenomenal,' said Chef Coo Pillay, founding director of Chefs with Compassion and president of SA Chefs. He noted that the Tsebo Group, which contributed over 24 000 litres through their nationwide kitchens, played a standout role. 'Their commitment shows what's possible when an organisation truly embraces compassion,' he added. More than 80 000 litres of the soup were prepared by Chefs with Compassion's 32 community hubs, which operate year-round. These local kitchens are often the unsung heroes, quietly sustaining communities long after Mandela Day ends. 'Mandela Day is our most visible moment, but for the people in our network, this work never stops,' said Hanneke van Linge, co-founder of CWC and founder of Nosh Food Rescue. 'Feeding over 600 000 people with food that would otherwise go to waste is not only possible, it's powerful. It's proof of what we can do when compassion drives collective action.'
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
This Mandela Day, make your 67 minutes count with Chefs with Compassion's #67000litres campaign
This Mandela Day, South Africans are invited to be part of a national act of compassion that turns surplus food into nourishment—and 67 minutes into food for people in need. With an ambitious new target of 100 000 litres of soup, Chefs with Compassion is aiming to feed 400 000 people this Mandela Day. Whether it's a litre of soup from a home kitchen or a team-building day with colleagues, this inclusive campaign invites everyone to take part—individuals, families, businesses, and community groups alike. Image: Supplied Chefs with Compassion's flagship initiative, #67000litres for Mandela Day, is back for its sixth year—and the call to action is simple: cook, donate, or spread the word. Whether you're a home cook with a few extra ingredients, a community group looking to make a difference, or a business wanting to give back, there's a way for everyone to get involved. Since 2020, the campaign has cooked a staggering 450 259 litres of soup, serving more than 1.8 million cups to hungry South Africans. In 2025, the goal is to cook more than 100,000 litres of soup, feeding over 400 000 people and raising funds to sustain Chefs with Compassion's work throughout the year. Now in its sixth year, #67000litres has already served over 1.8 million cups of soup to communities in need. And with support from leading culinary schools, chefs, community kitchens and corporates like Marriott, 2025 is set to be the biggest year yet. Image: Supplied Participants already confirmed include culinary schools like Capsicum, HTA, and International Hotel School, as well as community kitchens and well-known chefs from across the country. Marriott has also joined the movement through its Business Council's CSI programme. 'Mandela Day is about service, and there is no more direct form of service than feeding someone who would otherwise go hungry,' says Chef Coo Pillay, President of SA Chefs and Founding Director of Chefs with Compassion. 'Whether you're making one litre or one hundred, you're part of a movement that's restoring dignity, reducing food waste, and showing what compassion looks like.' How to take part: Cook at home: Use what's in your kitchen and share soup in your community Donate R167: Every donation helps fuel the campaign and support community kitchens Get your company involved: Sign up to back one of the kitchens participating in #67000litres for Mandela Day Spread the word: Share your #67000litres story online No pot is too small. No act of kindness too simple. Every contribution brings us closer to a country where no one goes to bed hungry. To register, donate or find a participating kitchen near you, visit Chefs with Compassion is a volunteer-based movement of chefs, culinary schools, and community kitchens dedicated to rescuing food and feeding those in need. Since its inception in 2020, the organisation has served more than 8 million meals to vulnerable South Africans.
