There really is power in ‘pink’ … and in mushrooms. The Power of Pink campaign, the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) and Pick n Pay proved just this at the campaign’s 10th anniversary celebrations at the beautiful 33 Melville Road in Hyde Park last Friday, 31 January.
The crowning moment of the celebration was when a cheque of the funds raised through the Power of Pink October campaign for 2019 was handed over to the Reach for Recovery breast cancer support group. In 2019, an impressive R553 778 was raised.
A whopping R5 177 628 was raised between 2010 and 2019. How? Well, through the support of the mushroom farmers’ association, Pick n Pay sells pretty pink punnets of mushrooms every October, and for for every punnet sold, R1 is donated to Reach for Recovery. Why mushrooms? To drive awareness of the protective role mushrooms can play in the fight against breast cancer.
In this way, the mushroom farmers’ association, Pick n Pay and Reach for Recovery continue to make a positive impact in the lives of breast cancer survivors who cannot afford reconstructive surgery after mastectomies. SAMFA chairperson Ross Richardson says, “We are extremely delighted to have achieved the R5 million mark in the 10th year of the Power of Pink campaign.”
The celebratory morning started off with a delightful breakfast and we took the opportunity to chat to Reach for Recovery volunteers and got some insights into their daily lives.
Guest speaker, breast surgeon Dr Sarah Nietz, shared her wide knowledge of breast research and training. She predicts the number of people diagnosed with breast cancer will double by the year 2030.
As today is World Cancer Day … show your support by donating to this cause, visit reach4recovery.org.za/donate.
You can also try out these amazing mushroom recipes.
