Nearly 40% of South Africans experienced some sort of food insecurity and didn’t have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs in 2020, according to a recent Stats SA report1. This number is likely to have increased as the pandemic exacerbated the level of hunger in the country.
FoodForward SA, in partnership with Pick n Pay, will host its 4th national Mandela Day Food Drive this year as part of their on-going commitments to provide access to nutritious meals for those who need it most. The event invites customers to donate from a priority list of 15 non-perishable food items in any Pick n Pay store. On Mandela Day, these are sorted and packed into food parcels for distribution to FoodForward SA’s network of 2,300 beneficiary organisations that feeds over 875,000 vulnerable people daily across the country.
The annual food drive has helped collect over 338,000kg of food, which can be equated to nearly 1,4 million meals.
The annual event was paused due to the pandemic, but, this year, customers will once again be able to donate their 67 minutes on Mandela Day at a packing event in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
The goal this year is to collect 150,000kg (150 tonnes) of food.
Andy Du Plessis, FoodForward SA’s managing director says, “As local households increasingly battle to make ends meet, more and more people are becoming food insecure because they cannot afford to buy food. Mandela Day is a time for all of us to rally together and help those in need as best we can.”
Between 8 – 15 July, collection trolleys will be available in all Pick n Pay stores nationwide. All food donated in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban stores (350 stores) will be delivered to the FoodForward SA packing events. Stores located outside of these regions will also be participating, but these donations will go to local charities.
As many customers are now enjoying the ease of shopping groceries online, donations can also be made on the PnP asap! app or online shop. Customers can shop from the priority food item list and get free delivery. All food bought online will be delivered to the packing events on Mandela Day.
FoodForward SA has a strong focus on supporting early childhood development, education, skills development, women’s empowerment and youth organisations. These account for 75% of their donations, and in their last financial year they donated a total of 48 million meals.
Pick n Pay is FoodForward SA’s largest retail partner and contributes R38 million worth of edible surplus food to the organisation every year. Their relationship dates back to 2009 and the FoodForward SA Mandela Day Food Drive in partnership with Pick n Pay’s was conceptualised in 2017 as a way to bolster FoodForward SA’s warehouses with staple foods over the winter months, when the demand for food increases sharply.
Vaughan Pierce, Head of ESG at Pick n Pay, says that the need to support local organisations providing food is greater now than in previous years. “Millions of South Africans continue to go to bed hungry every day. Sadly, the effects of the pandemic have only heightened the demand for nutritious food as livelihoods were impacted and unemployment rose.
“We are excited to host the national food drive in our stores again, and have a dedicated team within our business committed to ensuring the packing events are a huge success for the thousands of beneficiaries that dependent on FoodForward SA, especially during the colder months,” says Pierce.
“We are excited that after a two-year hiatus we can host our Food Drive and Packing Event again to serve vulnerable communities. We call on PnP customers, schools, and corporates to volunteer their 67-minutes with us as we stock our warehouses for winter,” says Du Plessis.
The food groceries from the Mandela Day Food Drive are used to help create nutritious and balanced meals. These include rice, maize meal, spaghetti, samp & beans, soup mix, lentils, pilchards, tuna, long life milk, oats, jam, peanut butter, cooking oil, sugar and salt.
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE FOODFORWARD SA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PICK N PAY
– Take part in the national Mandela Day Food Drive from 8 – 15 July 2022 in any participating Pick n Pay store:
o Purchase a non-perishable item from the Mandela Day food list and drop it into the branded donation trolley
o Make a cash donation at the till point
o Donate your Smart Shopper points to FoodForward SA by selecting “Donate points to charity” on the app or at the kiosk in-store, and selecting FoodForward SA as the beneficiary
– Join the Mandela Day Food Drive online from 8 – 15 July 2022 and donate items for free delivery to the packing events on the PnP asap! app or online shop:
Donate on www.pnp.co.za:
1. When selecting your delivery slot, click on ‘MANAGE ADDRESS’ & choose COLLECTION POINTS.
2. Choose a region – Western Cape, Gauteng or Durban and choose FOODFORWARD
3. At checkout use code “MANDELADAY” for free delivery (voucher code valid 8 – 15 July 2022, single use per customer. Min Spend R100)
PnP asap! donations:
1. Change the delivery address to: Corner Old Paarl Road and Jeanette Street, Brackenfell, Cape Town
2. Add a delivery note “Mandela Day Donation”
3. Shop the Mandela Day filter under the Food Cupboard aisle
4. At checkout use code “MANDELADAY” for free delivery (voucher code valid 8 – 15 July 2022, single-use per customer. Min spend R100)
– Packing event on Mandela Day, 18 July: Take part in one of the three packing events to sort donated groceries into food parcels:
o Cape Town: Century City Conference Centre ‘The Square’
o Johannesburg: Gallagher Convention Centre
o Durban: FFSA warehouse, Pinetown
To sign up for a packaging event: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/EventCategories.aspx?itemid=1515608051
