The Feedie frenzy in South Africa

The Feedie frenzy hits South Africa…

Selfies, cats and food win hands down when it comes to social media photography. Admit it – there isn’t a soul among us who hasn’t at some stage leaned into our darling pet’s basket and photographed her fluffy belly for the edification of our friends.

But it’s the manic sharing of food images on social networks like Facebook and Instagram that got former South African model turned philanthropist, Topaz Page-Green, thinking about how she could turn this obsession into a business concept with a heart. The New Yorker is the founder of The Lunchbox Fund, which raises money to ensure that underprivileged children do not have to learn on an empty stomach. She’s been doing this for nine years now and so far manages to feed 5 000 kids back home every day. She plans to double this number by the end of 2014.

And now Topaz has conceptualised an entire social network that promises to make even more money for The Lunchbox Fund. Just launched in South Africa, Feedie is a smartphone app that allows users to photograph their meals at participating restaurants – and with every snap they take, they also feed an underprivileged child. It’s the type of business model that dreams are made of – the restaurants sign up for a Feedie membership package, which means that for a sum of R2 500, they get 100 photographs on the Feedie network. It’s not only a good cause but also a great marketing opportunity, and a tax break. And 100 per cent of all the money goes to the kids, says Topaz. The concept is a no-brainer. For the foodies, they get to join a social network that has taken off with such enthusiasm in the United States that 250 restaurants are already registered with Feedie, and Topaz and her team also have restaurants lined up in Asia, Canada, Mexico, UK and now South Africa. “We have more than 20 restaurants on board in South Africa. We are thrilled to have the talented Peter Tempelhoff as our South African spokesman – he joins other celebrity chefs like Mario Batali and Jamie Oliver.”

Feedie Restaurants in South Africa include:
The Conservatory at The Cellars-Hohenort (CT)
The Greenhouse (CT)
Pavilion at the Marine (Hermanus)
Seafood at the Marine (Hermanus)
Seafood at the Plettenberg (Plettenberg Bay)
Tashas (11 stores nationally)
Knead (9 stores in the Western Cape & Gauteng)
Olive and Oil (KZN)
Mondiall (CT)
SWAD (Gauteng)
Willoughby’s (CT)
Haiku (CT)
Belthazar (CT)

How to join the Feedie frenzy:

ARE YOU A FOODIE?
Simply download the Feedie app at the Apple app store, find the closest Feedie restaurant to you and start posting. You feed children simply by posting the images.

Go to wethefeedies.com and thelunchboxfund.org for more information.
To download the app for Android: http://bit.ly/1koBYdg and to iPhone: http://bit.ly/RWwQkZ.

ARE YOU A RESTAURANT?
Sign up for an annual R2 500 tax deductible membership to Feedie. This ‘buys’ you 1 000 ‘food-ographs’ (the cost of a meal for a child). So each time a patron posts a picture of their meal, R2,50 is deducted from your membership and you feed a child.