PnP joins Gift of the Givers in getting water to Vryheid
"PICK n Pay is donating half a million rand through different initiatives to provide respite for communities in drought-stricken areas."
“PICK n Pay is donating half a million rand through different initiatives to provide respite for communities in drought-stricken areas.”
These are the words of Suzanne Berman-Ackerman, Transformation Director at Pick n Pay, who adds, “This is just one of the measures the company is putting in place to help those who are affected, and to assist the public wanting to make contributions to those most in need.”
On Friday, two trucks travelled to Vryheid to provide some much needed relief to Vryheid District Hospital, as well as to rural communities near the Hlobane area. One of these was a Pick n Pay truck, which delivered approximately 20 pallets of 5 litre containers of water to the hospital. The other truck was from Gift of the Givers, who raised money with East Coast Radio, which delivered water to the rural community near Hlobane.
Salim Sayed of Gift of the Givers said, “The gift was made possible through a call to action by East Coast Radio. Gift of the Givers was made aware of the situation in Vryheid and we are happy to be able to offer assistance. Where there is a disaster we are free to move fast, and in this case we are doing just that.”
Ackerman-Berman said, “We are always honoured to partner with Gift of the Givers, and in this case we hope that the donation of water will go some way to alleviating the stress of those who live in Vryheid.
“We would like to celebrate the generosity of our customers who have been donating water at Pick n Pays around the country, and which is being delivered by Pick n Pay trucks to areas in need.”
Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper members will also be able to donate Smart Shopper points to the drought relief fund, and Pick n Pay will match customer donations up to an amount of R100 000.
“As a sustainable solution to the problem of water scarcity, and the impact it has on food security, we have begun discussions with AgriSA on identifying the extent of the need for water tanks in drought-stricken areas. Pick n Pay will pay for a number of these tanks to be installed,” said Ackerman-Berman.
“We have experience in the installation of water tanks through the Ackerman Pick n Pay Foundation Food Garden projects where we have installed boreholes and water tanks to help people to grow their own food, in many cases to the point where they can sell produce and take responsibility for their own food security. Through the Foundation, 248 community gardens of this kind have been set up to date.”
“Part of Pick n Pay’s corporate culture is that we get involved in community work, and so we will also be challenging our staff across our five regional offices to collect 100 000 litres of bottled water that will be donated to areas in need,” said Ackerman-Berman.
