#ActForChange raises R200k for drought relief efforts

SHOPRITE and Checkers customers have helped raise R200 000 for drought-stricken communities across South Africa in two months.

The funds raised will be used to drill new boreholes, refurbish broken ones, as well as to support recovery efforts in severely impacted communities.

The Gift of the Givers Foundation as well as Agri SA, two organisations that have coordinated some of the strongest responses to the drought crisis to-date, have partnered with the Shoprite Group to ensure that the generous donation of many South African’s make a real, practical impact in the communities most affected by the drought.

The Shoprite Group has already donated more than a half-a-million litres of water to various towns in the Free State, North West and KwaZulu-Natal since February this year.

The retailer introduced the till-point donation facility called the #ActForChange Fund to allow customers an opportunity to respond accordingly. Customers are can donate to the Fund by adding R5 or more to their purchases at any Shoprite or Checkers till point across the country.

Neil Schreuder, the marketing director at Shoprite, said that customers nationwide have demonstrated their desire to #ActForChange through their generous donations. “Each donation is critical, as it serves to bolster the work already being done to address the impact of the drought. We would like to say a huge thank you to all of our customers who donated. Each small donation goes a long way in effecting change.”

The establishment of the #ActForChange Fund has made it easier for ordinary people to make a difference in their local communities. Responding to the devastating drought is just one example of how the Fund will be used to support local communities. In partnership with FoodBank South Africa, the Fund will focus on alleviating hunger in local communities.

You can still #ActForChange in your local community by donating R5 or more at any Shoprite or Checkers till point across the country.