Vodacom giving back to the community for Mandela Day

Building on its inaugural food security drive

This initiative forms part of a larger project which the Vodacom Foundation is rolling out across the nation, building on its inaugural food security drive launched in honour of the International Nelson Mandela Day in 2013. The project will this year see a total of 40 000 food parcels packed by Vodacom employees and distributed the next week when schools reopen. All Vodacom employees across the country will contribute to this initiative.

Learners and their families will each receive nutritious food parcels consisting: a peanut butter, one morevite, one bake beans in tomato, sugar beans, Koo mixed vegetable, Hugo mixed fruit jam, pilchard in tomato and Ace maize meal.

Honouring Tata Madiba's legacy

Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal managing executive, Steven Barnwell says that volunteering is a crucial element of giving back for the Vodacom family. Barnwell says: "This year we recognise Tata Mandela's outstanding contribution to the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic South Africa by celebrating his example of dedication to the values that promote conflict resolution, improved race relations, human rights and gender equality.

"Tata Madiba gave his life to bring about change to the lives of the people of South Africa. In order to honour this lifetime sacrifice, our gift to him is to give our time to help make the world a better place. This is one of the best and most befitting ways we can thank Tata for being an inspiration to the world."

"We will continue to work with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Department of Basic Education to inspire the world to make these values a part of culture everywhere.

New teams every 65 minutes

Thousands of volunteers, including members of the Blue Bulls, the Department of Basic Education, Vodacom and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, will race the clock to pack as many food parcels as possible within 67 minutes. Once their time is up, a new team will take over.

Barnwell says: "We would like to urge other fellow South Africans to take part in every day, every time and anywhere service to humanity by feeding the hungry and helping the needy."