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Food is in short supply for those living in many of the poorer communities of South Africa.

So far efforts by government to deliver food packages have been thwarted in some cases by corruption from ANC officials, or looting by opportunists who intercept the trucks before delivery.

As a result, as we face an indefinite lockdown, a number of South Africans don’t know where their next meal is coming from.

If you’d like to help, Pick n Pay put together an initiative to make it easy to do so, without breaking the laws and regulations of the national lockdown.

Here’s The Daily Maverick:

…Pick n Pay has launched a relief fund to provide food and basic hygiene essentials to the most vulnerable during the lockdown period.

All cash donations will go directly to Joint Aid Management (JAM) and FoodForward SA, with a focus on children and shelters. Collectively, they work with organisations throughout South Africa and feed more than 500,000 people daily. The Feed the Nation campaign is also supporting Afrika Tikkun as a main beneficiary.

You might remember Afrika Tikkun from the ‘Cans with Purpose’ initiative that collected funds to feed children when the country first put physical distancing protocols in place.

Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, transformation director of Pick n Pay, said that the company felt the need to help the communities it serves.

“Part of our company ethos is that doing good is good business. We looked at the situation and saw that people are going hungry, kids are not getting food, and schools have closed. ”

Ackerman-Berman says the company, the Ackerman family and the executives started by putting in their own funds before the campaign had even been made public.

So far the campaign has helped to feed more than 1,2 million people.

Local celebrities — including the DHL Stormers rugby team — have also joined to share the #PnPFeedTheNation message. In a social media video message with some of his teammates, DHL Stormers and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says now is the time for South Africa to stand together:

“This is our nation; these are our people. We need to help, you and I can help.”

If you’d like to help, here’s how:

• Donate at the till point of any Pick n Pay store;
• Donate online at www.pnp.co.za/feed-the-nation;
• Drop any non-perishable food items in the collection trolleys in-store; and
• Donate Smart Shoppers to FoodForward SA (this can be done via the PnP app or in-store at the kiosk).

The initiative is set to continue long after the lockdown has ended to help communities rebuild, during what will no doubt be more trying times ahead.

[source:dailymaverick]