SAMFA & Pick n Pay Team Up to Bring Hope with Power of Pink Campaign

Cancer is hard. The diagnosis, the treatment, the recovery. And with breast cancer, the loss of a breast too. It’s a very personal wound that often changes a woman’s perception of her femininity, self-worth and sense of belonging.

That’s where Reach for Recovery (R4R) and the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) step in. All forms of breast reconstruction and external breast prostheses are very expensive, and many women who have survived the trauma of breast cancer simply cannot afford them. 

Here’s a solution that assists our brave survivors

Every year, SAMFA funds this important, dignity-bolstering work through their Power of Pink campaign. Throughout October, fresh mushrooms are sold in pink punnets at Pick n Pay stores, and R1 from each goes to R4R to provide breast prostheses to cancer survivors who can’t afford them.

“At SAMFA, we feel privileged to be part of this stream of upliftment,” says SAMFA’s Chairperson, Ross Richardson. “People say to surround yourself with those who are going to lift you higher. With Pick n Pay and Reach for Recovery, we are proud to be doing just that.”

You can assist and bring hope, joy and dignity – simply buy a pink punnet of mushrooms today.

Pink punnets of fresh mushrooms will be on shelves at Pick n Pay stores nationwide throughout October. Please join Team Ditto in uplifting the lives of underprivileged women who have survived breast cancer with this simple yet life-changing purchase.

And, if you need an awesome recipe to inspire your mushroom intake, check out this handy guide to whip up a lemony baked chicken in mushroom sauce:

Recipe: Lemony Baked Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs, skin on & bone in
Skin on & bone in will deliver the juiciest chicken. Reduce baking time if using chicken breasts or deboned thighs

500g white button mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
125ml dry white wine / de-alcoholised wine or extra stock
250ml chicken stock
1 large bunch fresh tarragon, leaves removed from stems
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
250ml sour cream

Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for cooking

To serve:

Lemon wedges
Green salad
Brown & wild rice

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200˚C.
• Season the chicken thighs well with salt and pepper.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a deep ovenproof frying pan or buffet casserole.
• Brown the chicken well until deeply golden on both sides.
• Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the sliced mushrooms to the residual fat in the pan and cook on medium high heat until golden brown and they have released all of their moisture.
• Add the onion and cook until soft.
• Add the garlic and dried herbs and cook for a minute until fragrant.
• Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce.
• Pour in the chicken stock and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.
• Add half of the tarragon leaves, the lemon juice, zest and stir in the sour cream.
• Taste to adjust seasoning.

• Add the browned chicken thighs into the mushroom sauce, making sure to nestle them in so that just the golden skin is sticking out.
• Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken thighs, until cooked through.
• Scatter the remaining half of the tarragon leaves all over the dish and add a little extra lemon zest and juice for brightness.
• Serve straight out of the warm pan alongside a fresh green salad and wild rice.

Credit: The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association