Caxton packs food to Stop Hunger
The Boksburg Advertiser and Caxton East Rand joined East Rand Mall in its Mandela Day initiative in partnership with Stop Hunger Now SA to pack boxes of meal packs as part of 67 minutes of service.
For the fourth consecutive year, East Rand Mall has partnered with Stop Hunger Now SA.
Stop Hunger Now Southern Africa packaged 958 000 meals on Nelson Mandela International Day – all thanks to a squad of over 5 000 volunteers that included Graça Machel, Luvuyo Mandela and celebrities.
That’s enough food to feed 6 841 children three meals a week for a year.
The organisation is a volunteer-based meal packaging and results oriented nutrition programme.
According to East Rand Mall marketing coordinator Maxine Edwards, Stop Hunger Now SA heads an initiative that assists crèches around the country by providing them with food for the children and staff so that they in turn can use the money saved to assist in improving their facilities and train their teachers.
“The food packed at East Rand Mall on Mandela Day will assist the Ratabana crèche based in the Witfield informal settlement.”
“Ratabana means ‘love children’ which is fitting for this crèche as they feed, educate and look after 123 children every day.”
Edwards says that the mall partnered with a number of local businesses and raised a total of R51 500, which was used to purchase the ingredients for the meal packs from Stop Hunger Now SA.
These local businesses include Alrose Chemicals, Jaguar Land Rover East Rand, Pureau Fresh Water Company and Rand Refinery.
“A total of 19 000 meals (89 boxes) were packed and approximately 200 volunteers contributed their 67 minutes on the day.
“The volunteers on the day came from the Alrose Chemicals, Caxton Group, East Rand Mall, I-CAN Foundation, Jaguar Land Rover East Rand, Pureau Fresh Water Company, Rand Refinery, Willowmoor High, the Rotary club and many others.”
To find out more about getting involved with SHN SA’s monthly volunteer meal-packaging events, please e-mail jeanvw@stophungernnowsa.org for costs and booking information, or visit www.stophungernowsa.org – @TumeloBoksburg and @BoksburgNews
