Grocery retailer, Pick n Pay has established a ‘Feed the Nation’ relief fund to provide food and basic hygiene essentials to the most vulnerable during the lockdown. Supported by Joint Aid Management (Jam) and FoodForward SA (FFSA), the Feed the Nation campaign which is was set to help South Africans who rely on meal donations every day during the COVID-19 pandemic. “School closures have meant that many schoolchildren who were dependent on school feeding schemes have been left without food,” said Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, Transformation Director at Pick n Pay.
According to Isak Pretorius, Group Executive Director at Jam International said, “It is the vulnerable communities of our nation who stand to be most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. They are faced with great uncertainty and are extremely ill-equipped to sustain themselves, leaving them at risk to secondary effects such as food insecurity”.
DHL and Unitrans have pledged to provide logistical support to the campaign, and some suppliers have already donated to support the campaign. Willowton Group, manufacturers of leading cooking oil brand Sunfoil, has already donated 34,000 litres of cooking oil, as well as 68,000kg of maize meal and rice.
Andy Du Plessis, Managing Director of FoodForward SA, said, “The food will address short-term hunger, but also acts as a catalyst for social change in vulnerable communities. We work with verified charities that focus on education, orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV/Aids and TB, the aged, unemployed youth, and abused women”.
How to contribute
Pick n Pay is encouraging customers to help Feed the Nation. A donation of just R21 will provide a daily meal to someone in need for a week.
Customers can help Feed the Nation in three easy ways:
1. Donate at the till the point of any Pick n Pay store
2. Donate online at www.pnp.co.za/feed-the-nation
3. Donate Smart Shopper points (this can be done via the PnP app or in-store at the kiosk)
All cash donations will go directly to Joint Aid Management (Jam) and FoodForward SA (FFSA), with a focus on children and shelters. Collectively they work with organisations throughout South Africa and feed over 500,000 people daily.
