Do More TO CELEBRATE MANDELA DAY

In an amazing show of support and humanity to celebrate Mandela Day (18 July), the non-profit DO MORE FOUNDATION, founded by RCL FOODS two years ago, is pulling out all stops (again) to show it cares.

Think 1407 volunteers, a staggering 14 324 meals, 76 beneficiary organisations, 183 mini-projects, 57 teams and 44 RCL FOODS sites … and you get the picture!

Last year, the FOUNDATION chalked up 10 tons of food donations and 11 500 meals, and organised 115 mini projects in its Mandela Day Campaign. For the 2019 drive, joining hands yet again with big-hearted corporate employers, it aims to go even bigger. 

Thanks to collaboration with these extraordinary partners, the FOUNDATION has ramped up its contribution to take more meals, more passionate volunteers, and more caring than ever before, to communities in need.

 “Mandela Day is an opportunity to make a tangible difference to those in need and we love the buzz it creates in our partners’ businesses for weeks before and after the event,” said Warren Farrer, DO MORE FOUNDATION trustee and executive. “People want to make a difference and when businesses see the value of partnering with us to DO MORE, they never look back. The impact our FOUNDATION has already made through partnerships speaks for itself. Together we really can #DoMore.”

Leading the charge is the RCL FOODS national office in Westville, along with participating companies The Hardy Boys, Eversheds-Sutherland, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Chep, DUT, Crown Spices, Conversation Lab,  Barrows, Siqalo Foods’ Rama Margarine,  Globeflight and Vector Logistics, among others, all putting their hearts,  energy, and resources into the regional effort. 

A total of 150 Westville volunteers will prepare more than 6000 hot and nutritious meals using RCL FOODS brands and Crown Spices.  These will be distributed to numerous early childhood development (ECD) centres in Hammarsdale. Volunteers will also plant trees, start up food gardens, paint classrooms, help with basic maintenance at beneficiary sites, organise mini sports days and even man popcorn machines for the children.

There will also be a Market Day fundraiser at the RCL FOODS Westville national office, hosted by the children of 100 employees. The youngsters will craft handmade jewellery, hand-covered books and home-baked cookies to raise funds for the Mandela Day campaign.

Madiba believed that ”There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return”, a sentiment strongly endorsed by the DO MORE FOUNDATION.

“We believe that achieving strong, sustainable solutions to pressing social needs depends on partnerships between a range of stakeholders – corporates, NGOs, NPOs, government departments and passionate individuals who care to make a difference. Our past two Mandela Day campaigns showed the power of these partnerships in action, and this year we will make the circle bigger by bringing even more people on board, and spreading even more love,” said Farrer.