What do mushrooms have to do with cancer prevention?

The fight against breast cancer receives a boost with just over R2m raised for Reach for Recovery over the 5 years of the mushroom industry’s Power of Pink campaign.

“The mushroom industry is very proud,” says SAMFA’s, chairperson Ross Richardson, “to announce that the 2014 campaign resulted in R445 643 being raised for Reach for Recovery. This brings the grand total, raised over the 5-year period, to R2 043928.00. 

683 women from all over South Africa (including Gauteng, Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape as well as Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga) benefitted from the money donated by SAMFA, Pick n Pay and Thermopac during 2014.

Fresh cultivated mushrooms in South Africa joined the fight against breast cancer in 2010 when punnets first turned pink on Pick n Pay’s shelves to support the work Reach for Recovery (R4R) South Africa does.

The mushroom industry’s motivation to support Breast Cancer month stems from the many international research studies which continue to support the positive link between mushroom consumption and the reduction of breast cancer.
"At the heart of the Power of Pink Pink Punnet Project,” says Stephné Jacobs – Chairperson of the Board of Management for Reach For Recovery – South Africa, “is the premise that mushrooms play a role in lowering breast cancer risk. Reach for Recovery is a special volunteer driven organisation and makes a big difference in the lives of women confronted with this disease. We are so grateful for the commitment and involvement of The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) in our efforts to assist women on their road to recovery."

All the money raised in the Power of Pink Pink Punnet campaign is used by Reach for Recovery to purchase silicone prostheses for underprivileged women who cannot afford reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy.

The number of silicone prostheses distributed per region: Gauteng: 284; KZN: 8; Northern Cape: 60; Free State: 80; Western Cape: 180; Eastern Cape = 71.

David North, Corporate Affairs Director of Pick n Pay said, “We applaud the South African Mushroom industry for this campaign, which to date has raised more than R2m. Pick n Pay is proud to have partnered with SAMFA in raising these funds for the Reach for Recovery programme, which provides emotional care and practical support to breast cancer patients and their families. “

“It is an extraordinary industry achievement,” concludes Richardson, “and we are immensely proud of the efforts our members made to make this initiative the success that it is.