Help save the Blisters for Bread walk: A vital lifeline against child hunger

Caron Thomas, Plumstead

For 57 years, the Blisters for Bread Charity Family Fun Walk has been a beloved annual tradition in the Western Cape, bringing together generations to take a united stand against child hunger.

Now, I write to you with urgency: this iconic event is at risk of cancellation for its 58th year due to a critical lack of sponsorship.

The Peninsula School Feeding Association (PSFA) needs R1.5 million in corporate sponsorship to cover the operational costs of safely and professionally running the 2026 walk.

This funding is crucial because it ensures that 100 percent of walker entry fees go directly to the PSFA’s school feeding programmes, which provide daily meals to over 30 000 vulnerable learners across the Western Cape.

Losing Blisters for Bread would be a significant loss.

Beyond the disappointment of losing a cherished community event, it means losing a vital platform that raises both crucial funds and widespread awareness for childhood hunger.

For many families, it is one of the few affordable, inclusive, and intergenerational events where they can actively participate in supporting vulnerable children.

We are calling on the corporate sector in the Cape community to step up and partner with the PSFA.

Sponsoring Blisters for Bread is a unique opportunity for businesses to gain credible brand visibility, offer meaningful employee engagement, and align their brand with a respected NGO that is directly addressing food insecurity among schoolchildren.

As PSFA director Petrina Pakoe says, this walk demonstrates what is possible when business and community work together. We need that partnership now more than ever.

I urge businesses to contact PSFA’s fundraising manager, Charles Grey, on 021 447 6020 or email charles@psfa.org.za to discuss sponsorship and help save this crucial event.

Let's not allow five decades of tradition and a critical source of funding for child nutrition to be lost.