- Over 6,000 participants braved the rain to walk or run in the Blisters for Bread fun walk along the Sea Point Promenade.
- The event, organised by the Peninsula School Feeding Association, helps fund daily meals for over 27,000 learners across the Western Cape.
- Premier Alan Winde and other officials took part, emphasising the critical need for public support.
Sunday’s morning showers did very little to dampen the spirits of just over 6 000 walkers and runners as they covered 10 and 5 km distances along the Sea Point Promenade for this year’s edition of the Blisters for Bread fun walk.
The annual event, organised by the Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA), is now in its 56th year. PSFA provides daily nutritious cooked meals to about 27 601 learners at 187 educational institutions across the Western Cape. Proceeds from this year’s event will ensure that the organisation continues to fulfill its mandate. Each entry fee will help feed 28 children two cooked meals for a day.
Despite the gloomy skies and light showers, enthusiastic patrons eagerly lined-up outside the Green Point Cricket Club for the start of the fun. When Premier Alan Winde fired the starting gun at 08:00, signalling the start of the 10km event, walkers were visibly ecstatic.
Officials
Approximately 30 minutes later, Winde and other provincial government officials joined walkers in the 5 km distance.
An elated Petrina Pakoe, PSFA director, expressed gratitude to all the participants. “We are overwhelmed that people have taken the time to come out even though the weather hasn’t been great to support this worthy cause. Know that your contribution is making a major impact on the lives of those most needy learners in our schools.
“With these meals we can ensure that children will be attending school because they require that meal, because you can’t teach a hungry child.”
Speaking to People’s Post, Winde hailed the work done by PSFA and appealed for more public support. “You can’t learn if you don’t have a meal. So, it’s amazing to see thousands of people coming out in support of Blisters for Bread, we thank the sponsors. This has been going on for a long time and it shows you the desperate need. I want to thank everyone who has taken money out of their pocket to come here and support the children. We have to make sure that we keep this going.”
David Maynier, provincial minister for education, said: “There are few things more heartbreaking than visiting a school where some children have a lunchbox, and other children do not. We feed about 500 000 children in our province daily. And we could not do it without partners like PSFA who feed about 35 000 children daily at schools in the Western Cape.”
Children suffering
Maynier expressed his gratitude to everyone who took part.
“Thank you to everybody who has turned up to support PSFA ad ultimately to support hungry children here in the Western Cape.”
Leticia Fisher, a teacher at Elsies River Community Learning Centre, explained that she has first-hand experience of learners’ inability to concentrate due to lack of food.
“I decided to come because I am so passionate about teaching and because I can see the suffering in class because children are not fed. They stay absent because they are hungry. If I had to be here at 5:00 I would have been because it’s important for me as a teacher to make sure that every child gets fed.”
