In the wake of the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in KZN, KFC and their customers, through their R2 donations, have again partnered through Add Hope to mobilised more than 1.2 million meals to the affected areas in Durban city and Eastern KZN, with more on its way.
These food parcels are being distributed by beneficiary organisation partners on the ground across all the affected areas to identified families and schools in need. The outreach is being led by HOPE worldwide SA and the DO MORE Foundation, a new KFC Add Hope partner, collaborating closely with The Gift of the Givers, Food Forward, Kolisi Foundation and SA Harvest.
“We are grateful for the partners we have on the ground as they are able to give us first-hand feedback on the reality of the situation and allow us to mobilise what is needed, when and where,” says Andra Nel, Brand Purpose and Reputation Manager at KFC. “As it stands, we are still working on increasing the number of food parcels being delivered to ensure we reach as many families as possible and are able to provide meals to the children at Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres who have been impacted, either completely destroyed or inaccessible due to the damaged roads rely, as many of these rely on feeding schemes.”
To date, relief has been provided in Amanzimtoti, Ballito, Cato Manor, Cato Ridge, Chatsworth, Chesterville, Cornubia, eThekweni, Hammansdale, Harry Gwala, iLembe, Inanda, King Cetswayo, Marianhill, Mbubulu, Northern Berg, Ntuzuma, Phoenix, Pietermaritzburg, Pinetown, Port Shepstone, Tongaat, uMgungundlovu, Umkhanyakude, Umlazi, Waterloo, Zululand and other surrounding areas.
“Our partnership with KFC Add Hope, couldn’t have come at a better time,” adds Warren Farrer, at DO MORE Foundation. “Mobilising efforts of this magnitude to provide relief needed means coming together and integrating and collaborating with other networks to extend reach and relief.”
“As we continue to be faced by the many challenging circumstances affecting our communities, it becomes critical that we mobilise relief as quickly and effectively as possible in order to minimise some of the most urgent challenges facing those impacted – especially hunger, and particularly for vulnerable families with small children. It may seem a small act to provide a meal, but in the midst of this crisis, we do not want families to have to worry about where their next meal will come from or what their children will eat, but rather focus on how they can rebuild their lives without them going hungry,” says Dr Marc Aguirre , from HOPE worldwide SA.
The teams are also working closely with the provincial disaster management authorities and our network beneficiary organisations on the ground to focus efforts on some of the most hard-hit areas.
“We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the many corporates, NGOs and citizens that have come to not only provide the necessary relief now, but to help rebuild and the R2 we receive from our customers, added to KFC’s own contribution, plays a critical role in the impact we are able to make in our efforts to add hope to those in need,” concludes Nel.
