For some children, the first meal they eat after the weekend is the breakfast waiting for them at school on Monday morning.

As preparations get under way for this year’s Blisters for Bread charity walk, schools benefiting from the Peninsula School Feeding Association’s feeding programme say the initiative is improving attendance, academic performance and the lives of vulnerable children.

Blisters for Bread in association with Lucky Star will take place on Sunday 16 August at the Green Point Common Sports Grounds.

The annual event, organised by the Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA), raises awarenees and funds to combat childhood hunger in the Western Cape.

Programme boosts attendance

Samantha Williams, secretary and feeding coordinator at HJ Kroneberg Primary School in Maitland, says the school has been a beneficiary for about 18 years.

“Over the years, we have seen an improvement in academics because the learners are being fed. We also had a problem with learner attendance, especially on Fridays and Mondays.

“But we have found with the inception of the feeding programme, those are now our ‘bigger’ days because the children come to school on a Friday because that is their last meal and then on a Monday it is their first meal since Friday.”

She says while the feeding programme only caters for needy learners, they do not exclude those whose families face temporary financial hardship.

“We have a motto at our school that we don’t turn a hungry child away.”

Williams says the school has about 200 learners on the programme but sometimes they feed up to 590 children.

“Many of our learners travel from areas like Makhaza, Khayelitsha, Philippi and Joe Slovo (Milnerton). They take the bus or taxi early in the morning so when they arrive at school there is at least warm porridge for them.”

Having witnessed the impact of the feeding programme firsthand, Williams encourages the community to take part in the annual fundraiser.

“I share every Blisters for Bread poster, and I encourage my family to enter. We promote the event in our newsletters. We want people to come along and support the event because the feeding programme makes a huge difference for our kids.”

Join the walk

Williams challenged other schools to enter and ensure the event is a success.

“We also encourage the learners and their parents to take part. We call on the community to support Blisters for Bread, it’s a fun event and the benefit is the satisfaction of knowing you have done something worthwhile.”

Participants can choose between a 10km walk starting at 07:30 and a 5km walk starting at 08:00.
Entry costs R125 per person, which can provide 23 children with a nutritious breakfast and lunch for one day.

Entries are limited to 10 000 participants, and registrations close at midnight on Sunday 2 August. Only online entries will be accepted.

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