The People's Pantry

25/08/2026

https://www.agrinet.co.za/samrand/every-basecamp-wagon-carries-something-bigger

Support The People's Pantry when you buy one of these fantastic !
See more details in the first Comment below and more of the story coming soon!

Every BASECAMP Wagon Carries Something Bigger. Every BASECAMP Wagon Carries Something Bigger.       At Agrinet, building exclusive brands goes beyond developing quality products. It's about creating brands with

04/08/2026

https://awethu.amandla.mobi/petitions/shoprite-bring-your-food-prices-down

Over the years, many organisations have built public pressure to increase and top up social grants. But even if we get the significant social grant increases we have been demanding, the cost of living will undermine these victories and keep people in poverty. The R370 is hardly enough to travel to a...

12/03/2026

FOR THE INTEREST AND ATTENTION OF THE TPP COMMUNITY PLEASE:

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is holding national hearings from 12 to 20 March to investigate why millions of people face hunger despite the fact that South Africa actually produces enough food for everyone. The hearings are focusing on systemic failures, corporate control, land issues, fragmented governance, and inadequate social grants, for example the Child Support Grant. The probe will address the paradox of national food sufficiency alongside widespread food insecurity, examining factors from inadequate social protection (such as grants below the poverty line); corporate power in the food system; land reform, and policy gaps, thus violating the constitutional right to food.

At the People's Pantry (TPP) we interviewed ten of the women who participate in our weekly food Swop Shop and invited them to share stories about their daily struggle to put food on the table. We documented these stories and are presenting them at the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) national hearings which begin today.

The TPP team members who conducted the interviews were deeply affected by hearing how these women struggle to make ends meet and how lonely it can feel to face this daily reality. By listening to their stories, we learned that the Swop Shop has become a place of respite—a place where they can access food with dignity, even when they have no money. Around 140 people, mostly women, participate in our Swop Shop every week.

In order to continue to provide support to these women and others in our community we need your ongoing support. We
truly appreciate the wonderful contributions both financially and in kind which we receive from our networks.

Reminder about Tax Benefit

As a registered Public Benefit Organisation (PBO No. 930083681), TPP can issue an 18A tax certificate for any donations received.

03/02/2026

Here is a little video from our Wellness Workshop ...

02/02/2026

Tending to our Health, One Leaf at a Time🪴
By: Keonah Nyembe

Community members who organise and run our two weekly Swop Shops, along with those who prepare food in Makers Valley to share with community members in need, gathered for a beautiful Wellbeing workshop facilitated by the wonderful Claire Rousell.

Claire is an artist, researcher, and activist whose work sits at the vital intersection of food sovereignty and environmental justice- and she shared her deep expertise right into our space. The well-being workshop was part of The People’s Pantry Together at the Table: Food Justice through agency, solidarity and healing programme.

We started the morning with an open exchange. The team shared the diverse ways we tend to our own health- comparing the home remedies and herbal traditions passed down through our families with medicines we find on the shelves and in our gardens.

Claire then led us on a “neighborhood forage”, walking through the Victoria Yards garden to name, identify, and compare the medicinal plants growing all around us. It was a powerful reminder that our urban environment is full of healing potential if we only know where to look.

To put our learning into practice, we foraged fresh plants to create a collective product. Using Comfrey as our star ingredient and blending it with Shea butter, honey, and a few other natural ingredients, we crafted a handmade pain-relieving joint ointment.

Thank you, Claire, for helping us reconnect with land and with our own capacity to heal.

15/01/2026

We are already in gear for a splendid 2026 - beginning with a wonderful delivery from SA Harvest and a generous donation from our benefactor . Our team is also growing with some new and some more experienced members back to serve the Makers Valley community!

23/12/2025

20/08/2025

This retreat offers a gentle approach to writing, whether you want to explore writing your story, or work on a specific writing project.
As writing draws on creativity and authenticity we will focus on play, overcoming writer’s block, finding our voice, and gaining insight into what we want to say.
We explore how mindfulness contributes to developing as a writer and enjoying the writing process.
We will briefly touch on what constitutes ‘good writing’ while also setting aside time for actual writing.

Fund-raising for The People’s Pantry the retreat is offered on a donation basis. Spaces are limited to 20 participants.

Lunch: Optional lunch at 12pm for those who would like to connect before the writing.
To book (or for queries), please contact Moyra: [email protected] Cell: 0721377637
Facilitators: Moyra Keane & Alison Kearney
Address: Victoria Yards, 16 Viljoen Street, Lorentzville

03/06/2025

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-06-03-hunger-crisis-report-unpacks-food-poverty-in-sa/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=first_thing

The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa has launched a report that unpacks the cause of South Africa’s food poverty crisis and looks at legal frameworks to strengthen food security. ‘People are not ignorant about nutrition, rather they are unable to access nutritious food and/or have...