As South Africans prepare to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela, FirstRand Volunteers (FRV) will mobilise 2,500 employees across all nine provinces throughout July to support vulnerable communities through a coordinated Mandela Month volunteer activation focused on food security, sustainability and community support.
Working alongside long-standing community partner Meals on Wheels, employees from FirstRand Volunteers offices across the country will pack 2,500 nutritious food parcels for vulnerable families, while also creating food-producing garden planters for schools, early childhood development centres, old age homes and community-based organisations.
Valued at over R10 million, this year’s Mandela Month programme includes food supplies, agricultural inputs, garden infrastructure, seedlings, compost, irrigation support, and ongoing training to help beneficiary organisations feed communities today while building the capacity to grow food sustainably into the future.
The initiative will reach approximately 50 to 60 beneficiary organisations across South Africa, many of which provide daily meals, education, care and support services to children, elderly people and vulnerable families.
The volunteer activations are designed to turn Mandela Month into more than a single day of service. By bringing employees together around a shared purpose, FirstRand Volunteers aims to strengthen its culture of volunteering while supporting organisations that deliver lasting impact beyond July.
“Nelson Mandela Month reminds us that meaningful change starts with action. Through the FirstRand Volunteers Programme, our employees are coming together across the country to deliver both immediate relief and long-term food security solutions for the communities we serve.” says Kone Gugushe, Head of Social Investing at FirstRand Group.
Meals on Wheels has been serving vulnerable communities across South Africa for decades, helping address hunger through food distribution while promoting longer-term food security through community gardens and sustainable planting initiatives. Through this partnership, FirstRand Volunteers will contribute to both immediate relief and longer-term community resilience.
Across the country, volunteers will rotate between two core activities during each activation: packing food parcels for vulnerable families and planting vegetable seedlings and assembling garden planters for beneficiary organisations. Each activation will be supported by Meals on Wheels facilitators, programme coordinators and community partners.
The initiative forms part of FirstRand’s broader employee volunteering programme, which encourages colleagues to use their time and skills to support registered causes that matter to them while creating meaningful social impact.
