Vodacom, volunteers provide food for needy

In the spirit of helping to address social injustices, Vodacom Limpopo invited their business partners, the Police, government officials and other volunteers to join their team in racing against the clock last Thursday to pack 5 000 food parcels within 67 minutes in celebration of Nelson Mandela Day.
The parcels are earmarked to be distributed to needy families through rural schools identified by the Department of Education. This initiative forms part of a larger project facilitated by the Vodacom Foundation, building on its annual food security drive in honour of Mandela Day, launched in 2013. This year, the project will see an estimated 50 000 buckets of nutritional food for children and families in need distributed to previously disadvantaged schools across the country. A total of R5,2 million has been spent on the packing and distribution of food parcels this year.
The project is supported by Vodacom South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Department of Basic Education, Gift of the Givers, Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, the Blue Bulls and Wheelchair Basketball SA. The parcels each contain canned beans or vegetables, jam, pilchards, tea, soup, mielie meal, stock and Cerevita cereal, as well as a stationery pack for learners consisting of an A5 exercise book, a pen, a pencil, a ruler, a sharpener, an eraser and a lollipop.
Chis Lazarus, Vodacom Limpopo Managing Executive welcomed the volunteers, explained the goal of the day and thanked everyone involved. “As the world reflects on Nelson Mandela’s legacy, we give thanks for his life, his leadership, his devotion to humanity and humanitarian causes. We salute and thank him for his sacrifices for our freedom and our future,” he said.
As soon as Lazarus gave the go ahead, the zealous workers jumped in and soon had all the parcels packed and stacked, ready for delivery on Tuesday.

Story and photos: MARKI FRANKEN
>>marki.observer@gmail.com