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UFS helps students with food parcels during lockdown

17 June 2020 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Supplied

Between 40 and 50 students from the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein receive daily food parcels during the lockdown, thanks to the cooperation between the Food Environment Office at the UFS, Tiger Brands, and the Total Garage in Brandwag.

Annelize Visagie from the Division of Student Affairs (DSA), who is heading the Food Environment Office at the UFS, says just before the national lockdown started in March, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tiger Brands to sponsor 500 food parcels to students who do not have bursaries. This is part of the UFS strategic goal of improving student success and wellbeing. UFS staff is working hard to implement initiatives and obtain sponsorships – such as this one with Tiger Brands – as well as food donations to ensure that students do not go hungry.

“Then the lockdown happened. However, the project continued, with Tiger Brands still sponsoring food parcels. Students email me and I respond to those emails. We are also looking at including students from the South Campus in the project.”

“I deliver the food parcels to the Total Garage across from the campus, where students collect it. We give between 40 and 50 parcels every day and have helped 650 students thus far. These parcels cost Tiger Brands R80 000 a month. We also provide students with vegetables from vegetable tunnels on campus,” says Visagie.

Visagie says the cooperation between the outside companies, the UFS, and even staff and students who volunteer, is heart-warming to see especially during this time of crisis. So is the gratitude from the students. They are also in discussions with the humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers to provide 200 food parcels to needy students from next month.

“We have a supply chain going on in the storeroom at the Thakaneng Bridge. It is great to see how staff members and students jumped in to help us pack the parcels. We have permits and more students want to help, but they can’t get onto campus at this time. We would not be able to do this without the help of Tiger Brands and the Total Garage.”

The DSA Food Environment Office is also collaborating with senior management on the UFS Qwaqwa and South campuses to distribute food parcels on these two campuses.

News Archive

Students excel at National Championships for the Physically Disabled

2013-04-07

South African record-holder Danie Breitenbach (left) running with his guide at the 2013 Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled.
Photo: Hetsie Veitch
10 April 2013

Six gold, one silver and two bronze medals. That is the number of medals students of the University of the Free State won at the 2013 Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled, held in Pretoria.

Louzanne Coetzee, Danie Breitenbach, Juanré Jenkinson and Diederich Kleynhans held the Kovsie flag high, winning medals in track and field events. Louzanne and Danie, both visually-impaired students, each won three gold medals, with Danie setting two new South African track records. Danie, who took part in the T11/F11 sports class for visually-impaired, totally blind athletes, set records in the 800 and 1 500 metre track events. This first-year BA student, who runs with a guide and has to wear a blindfold when running, also won a gold medal in the 400-metre track event.

Louzanne also took part in the T11/F11 sports class and won gold medals in the 800-, 1 500- and 5 000-metre events. With her winning time of 2 minutes and 53,8 seconds in the 800 metres, Louzanne, a second-year BA Corporate and Marketing Communication student, reached the qualifying standard for international participation. She may be considered for a national team that will compete internationally.

Diederich and Juanré took part in the F37 and F38 sports class for physically-impaired athletes and won medals in the field events. Juanré, a fourth-year Education student, and Diederich, a master’s degree Theology student, won bronze and silver medals in shotput. Diederich also won a bronze medal in discus.

Also taking part in the national championships, were Sidwell Monyane, a final-year B Public Management (Human Resource Management) student. Sidwell was part of the Free State Boccia team. Boccia is a target-ball sport for athletes with disabilities, which has a major impact on motor skills.

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