PEBBLES KITCHEN AND NUTRITION PROGRAMME

The Pebbles Nutrition Programme ensures that all beneficiaries attending a Pebbles centre receive wholesome, nutritious meals and snacks daily. All meals are prepared in the Pebbles Kitchen, which produces approximately 2500 meals daily. The meals are delivered to all the centres for the practitioners to heat and serve to the children.

The Pebbles Project’s Nutrition Programme was initiated when Pebbles identified that the children attending the Pebbles centres did not have a well-balanced and nutritious diet that is essential for optimal growth and learning.

In 2014, with funding received by Stichting Clouds Foundation, Pebbles officially launched the Nutrition Programme and started feeding 258 ECD children breakfast, lunch and two snacks daily. 

In 2015, the programme expanded to include After-School Club children. At this point in time, Pebbles purchased meals from an external service provider, but the dream had always been to build and operate a commercial kitchen where Pebbles can prepare high-quality, affordable and nutritious meals. 

In 2019, after extensive research conducted and commitment by the Stichting Clouds Foundation and Goede Mensen to fund this huge undertaking, the dream of a Pebbles Kitchen became a reality and a brand new, purpose built 450m2 food production facility was designed and built to produce these meals.

 

  • The Pebbles Kitchen is based at Klein Joostenberg in Stellenbosch and currently employs 8 full time employees. 
  • Approximately 2500 meals are cooked each day, of which 1000 are delivered to the Pebbles beneficiaries, the rest are delivered to other NPOs and ECD centres.
  • 1,250 breakfasts and 6,000 snacks are delivered each week to Pebbles beneficiaries.
  • 600 infant purée meals are cooked and distributed each week.
  • The Pebbles Kitchen also provides supplementary meals to pregnant women who form part of the Maternal Health Education Initiative who need assistance with ensuring they are taking in the right nutrition for a healthy pregnancy.
  • Healthy meals are prepared and cooked daily, frozen and distributed to education centres in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Somerset West, Wellington, the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Grabouw, Citrusdal & Clanwilliam.
  • The Pebbles Kitchen also provides meals to other NPOs and education centres with the  goal to grow and supply nutritious meals to many other NPOs, educational centres and clinics in the greater Winelands area.

If you would like to see our menu, request a price list or and purchase meals from the Pebbles Kitchen, please contact kitchen@pebblesproject.co.za

Growth and Wellness Monitoring

Our children’s growth and development is tracked through a partnership between the Nutrition Programme and our health professionals at the Pebbles Clinic. Growth monitoring visits are scheduled annually where we look at the growth progress of all ECD learners according to their individual Road to Health clinic cards. Dietary interventions are then put into place for those children who are not following their growth charts or are found to be underweight, overweight or stunted. Research has shown that proper nutrition plays an important role in the cognitive development of the young child, which makes the Nutrition Programme a vital aspect of our work.