Absa joins Gift of the Givers and Woolworths to help feed those affected by COVID-19
Absa has donated R1 million in support of the Woolworths Help Fill a Bag initiative, which enables the distribution of food parcels to those in need.
South Africans have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and, for most families, being able to buy food items has also become a challenge. Woolworths, in partnership with NGO Gift of The Givers, has committed to distributing food care packs to families in need as well as people who are ill, in quarantine or unable to leave their homes, with their Help Fill a Bag initiative.
“In South Africa, millions of people face the threat of hunger every day. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in some areas in our country has led to an even greater need for food as more families are faced with not having enough to eat. Woolworths has been striving to be a caring and empowering community partner in the fight against hunger for many years through our food security initiatives. These initiatives address not just the immediate need for food that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed, but also sustainable solutions to address our challenged food system,”
comments Zinzi Mgolodela, Woolworths Director of Corporate Affairs.
“Over the past year, we have worked closely with our long-term disaster relief partner Gift of the Givers, to donate balanced food care packs across South Africa to families most in need. These packs are filled with protein, fresh fruit, vegetables and other staples, as well as hygiene products.”
Gift of the Givers has been serving humanity by providing disaster relief for 29 years and they are currently helping to alleviate the impact of the recent looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, while simultaneously combating the effects of the pandemic on South Africans.
Absa has also taken up the call to assist those currently struggling due to the pandemic by donating R1 million towards the initiative.
“We are continuing our work with Gift of the Givers and thank Absa for joining us, as we disseminate 4 000 food care parcels to families in seven communities in six regions across South Africa. Working together, we will continue to alleviate the scourge of hunger that is sadly a daily reality for many South Africans as well as work on sustainable solutions for a zero hunger future,”
confirms Mgolodela.
Absa is no stranger to assisting the community. As part of its We do more so you can campaign, the bank aims to help and do more for its customers and the community at large. They have recently launched the #ICanWithAbsaDrive, a campaign that is aimed at helping South Africans achieve their goals by sharing their inspiring “I Can” story. This is the Africanacity narrative – one of the many ways in which Absa continues to show up and help people achieve their goals and dreams, especially during this time.
“One of our values at Absa is to sustainably create shared value and play an integral role in our customers’ and clients’ life journey. We want to help them to achieve more by creating opportunities and providing them with support by delivering innovative technologies and propositions to make more possible,”
says Christine Wu, Managing Executive: Customer Value Management at Absa Retail and Business Banking.
Members of the public who want to contribute towards the Help Fill a Bag initiative can donate via EFT or by scanning the QR code on Woolworths Website with SnapScan or FNB and RMB Scan to Pay, or with your compatible Absa, Standard Bank, Nedbank, Capitec or MasterPass App.
A minimum donation of R10 feeds one person three meals for one day. Give what you can. A little goes a long way.
