The persistent drought in the Northern and Eastern Cape shows no signs of abating and so the Shoprite Group is reaching out to hard-hit communities through a number of initiatives.
The Group has made available R50 000 for a donation of animal feed to affected farmers. Additionally, contributions to its #ActForChange Fund will all go to Gift of the Givers, the retailer’s implementation partner helping distraught communities trying to cope with the worst drought in living memory. Shoprite’s Mobile Soup Kitchens continue to serve up to 1000 people daily in drought-affected areas.
The Group invites its customers to join it in bringing relief by donating to the #ActForChange Fund, which is as easy as adding R5 or more to your grocery bill at till points in Shoprite and Checkers stores throughout South Africa.
“The difficulty our communities in the Eastern and Northern Cape are facing is unprecedented,” says Lunga Schoeman, Shoprite’s CSI Manager.
“But it is in times like these that our innate spirit of ubuntu kicks in and we, as South Africans, reach out to help those in desperate need of assistance. Our communities are the bedrock of our business so that we cannot idly stand by as the people in the drought-affected communities struggle to make ends meet. Join us as we seek to alleviate their plight sooner rather than later,” explains Schoeman.
“Gift of the Givers currently focuses on the towns hit hardest by the drought. We provide animal fodder, water and care packages. We need all the support we can get to assist these towns and farming communities timeously before the situation deteriorates and we’re looking at more than just animal deaths,” says Badr Kazi of Gift of the Givers.
