John Paul DeJoria, our founding Patron details why he, his family and his businesses have been a long time supporter of Food4Africa

story from the field -

Distributing food with our field manager, Byron Randall, this is what he may tell you

There is nothing that makes me happier than seeing genuine smiles on children's faces. This work allows me to be content and happy with life. It has always felt natural to help others and doing what I have been doing since 2008 allows me to have peace and joy in my heart despite seeing unimaginable things over the years. If we could all do our part in creating a better world than we stand a real chance at overcoming the bad. We need to weather the storm together - we are all in the same storm but we are not all in the same boat. Never underestimate how much impact a small gesture or act of kindness can create a ripple effect in other's, as well as our own lives. Be humble always.

In 2008 I was lucky enough to be introduced to Gordon at Food4Africa and the work they do. I am now proud to be able to say that it is the work WE do. Right from the beginning I felt as though I had found my place in life, and that was at a very early age of 20. I don't think there are a lot of people in the world who are able to say that. To know at that age that life has handed you your life's work.

At school I was never really certain as to what I wanted to become, my grades were reasonable but I didn't seem to have a direction. I decided that after school I would take a gap year and visit the UK on a working holiday. After the gap year I returned to my home town of Port Elizabeth where I met Len Harvey, this was to be one of the most influential people in my life to date.

Len was an absolute legend in our community, he was involved with Food4Africa and was delivering porridge to all the rural areas in the Eastern Cape on a daily basis. I could sense that this was huge and I was so drawn in by it that it took over my entire life...in a good way. Sympathy, Empathy, Karma and Goodwill were flowing freely in and around the people Len dealt with and I knew I wanted to be a part of  it. A small drop in a big ocean but with a chance to create a ripple effect over the entire sea. Real goosebumps stuff. Len passed away in 2010 and I took it upon myself to see to it that all the people he was helping continued to be helped. Len was totally dynamic in what he did and taking over from him put a huge weight on my shoulders at the time. If it wasn't for the help of Len's daughter Cindy and Gordon - I would not have coped. It eventually took a toll on my health, more mentally than physically over the following years although I never stopped doing the good work. After meeting my loving wife in 2013 and getting married in 2016 the equilibrium to my life was restored.

I have always been a hands-on, technically minded person and around 2015 I realized that I needed to feed that part of my life. I started a welding and fabrication business from my garage at home and have since grown it into a successful small business. I now carefully balance life between doing the good work, creating ripple effects and running my small business.

Why do Charlie Stuart Gay & Daniella Hunter say “Yes” to Gordon and the children of Africa

Charlie says…..”My wife Daniella and i are delighted to be Patrons for this wonderfully impactful African charity. Food4Africa has proven over the last twenty years to be sustainable and effective  in packaging and delivering over 60 million nutritious meals  to children and people in need across South Africa.

I met founders Alan and Gordon first through our collective initiative in the early 2000s gathering in Mozambique to reduce the cost of land mine removal under another Foundation with the Patronage of Nelson Mandela and a group of caring citizens including John Paul de Joria who is also with us as Patron here  for Food4Africa.  When we tackled the work of land mine removal the Mineseeker Foundation’s technology deployed was able to reduce the cost of de-mining  from $1,000 to $8 a land mine so a never ending problem became a solution with fertile farm land returned to the villagers. Food4Africa was birthed before this knowing the need for sustained feeding of the poor could save lives and then empower a Nation to feed itself.

Our commitment continues today to be inspired by Mandela who taught us all that feeding Africa would start with food, nutritional prepared. This is occurring every day-through Food4Africa. This work is absolutely vital as if we do not accomplish this together with your support then the UN projects there will be 400 million Climate Refugees by 2030 looking to travel to Europe and the Americas . If unchecked, by 2050 this number is projected to swell to 1.3 billion, a number utterly unsustainable for any government and receiving country or continent to handle.

We have to provide food and water solutions to prevent climate refugee misplacement. We absolutely have to and we can only accomplish this with your help as an inclusive collective.

Mandela’s legacy continues to inspire us and his world to ask deeper questions. Recognizing how to care for our basic actions around food and water, to educate farmers to grow with best practices the most appropriate healthy local produce, to be picked up and produced in local food factories, and to keep on educating farmers and consumers how we provide “the fishing rod and then teach them to feed.”

Daniella and my work around food extended on the ground over the years from Mozambique and Kenya in the East and to Liberia in the West, where we have stimulated Hope Farm under the leadership of Liberian youth leader Dr Kimmie Weeks, the first organic producing farm in the country focusing on multi growing multi use crops and flours, like plantain and cassava  that are not reliant on high water irrigation and are versatile to make a variety of nutritious foods.

We ask for your immediate support for Food4Africa. It is time that we can combat food famine once and for all and we are all at this critical global and personal juncture where together we can change the course of all our histories.