​#Move4Food - staff can participate by joining a spin-a-thon, donate food items in a giant lunchbox or donate money.

Stellenbosch University (SU) is gearing up for its first ever 24 hour Campus Giving Day that will run from 13:00 on Thursday, 20 September to 13:00 on Friday, 21 September - and we need your support!

Giving Day forms part of the recently launched student-led #Move4Food campaign that aims to create food banks on our Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses, with an ambitious target of raising R10 million in 100 days in donations (cash and goods) to ensure that no student goes hungry.

One of the university student societies, Engineers Without Borders Maties, have been tasked with building a giant lunchbox that will be set up in the Neelsie from 17 to 24 September, in which anyone can donate non-perishable food items that will go to help stocking SU's food bank.

Get moving and join fun activities

"Student hunger is a serious issue and we want to demonstrate our commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals by providing real interventions. We therefore challenge every staff member to participate in the 24 hour spin-a-thon in Die Neelsie. Staff spin-a-thon hours have been earmarked between 15:00 and 17:00 on Thursday 20 September. Other ways of contributing is to challenge other faculties; or to match the kilometres cycled by your faculty student committee with monetary donations," says Cheryl Benadie, Donor Relations Manager at SU. 

"I encourage staff to get teams of 6 to cycle for an hour (for a R120 donation or more) and challenge others to do the same. You will need to book slots to cycle, so please e-mail givingday@sun.ac.za," she adds.

Some residences will also be involved in a telethon during this week to ask their residence's alumni to support this core need of students currently at their alma mater.

On Friday evening there is a Koshuis Rugby Derby date and all the old rivalries are out there for invictus-style battle: Huis Marais vs Huis Visser; Dagbreek vs Wilgenhof; Eendrag vs Helshoogte; and Simonsberg vs Helderberg. The event starts at 17:00 but the games kick off at 17:15. Die Stal will be open from 15:00 to 21:00, with a cash bar for refreshments before and after the matches. There'll also be music and braai facilities.

Don't forget about the big marathon this weekend… SU has partnered with the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, taking place on 22 and 23 September, to galvanise staff, students, alumni and friends to #Move4Food. And our Rector, Prof Wim de Villiers, will be sweating for a good cause! He accepted SU alumna and Olympic Games silver medallist Elana Meyer's challenge to #Move4Food by running the full marathon (42,2kms). Do support his campaign  by donating here: https://www.givengain.com/activist/225926/projects/17845/.

There are also currently 110 runners registered for the various race types in the Marathon to raise funds for #Move4Food. Give them your support by donating here: https://www.givengain.com/cc/su100/. 

“This feisty and youthful Move4Food campaign punches way below the weight of an enormous, overbearing problem of the social injustice that is food insecurity and hunger amongst our students, but it is a response to the President's Thuma Mina call," said Karen Bruns, Senior Director: Development & Alumni Relations. “And as a response, it attempts to draw together our student community with staff, alumni and donors to open up an issue that is real on our and other campuses across the country. It represents the possibility of an immediate solution of food banks and vouchers to a very complex issue which our support and academic staff must jointly engage with in order to find solutions.

“The donations raised by our students, staff and alumni represent a challenge which we hope that our existing donors will take up. The Move4Food campaign brings us all together in the spirit of the Centenary messaging of the University: saam vorentoe; masiye phambili; forward together," said Bruns.

For Alessandra Bielich, BAccounting Student at SU and part of the Giving Day student team, it is important to get behind this initiative.  “I am supporting the Move4Food campaign because I feel strongly about each student having equal opportunity and ability to succeed on campus. My challenge to fellow students is to make even the smallest contribution to this cause by participating in the spin-a-thon. We can reach the target if we all stand together."

• Want to get involved? Send an e-mail to givingday@sun.ac.za to sign up. Activities will be livestreamed on Facebook and Instagram - giving you great content to share and bolster donations to this campus-wide campaign.