World Kindness Day is fast approaching on 13 November, and food-rescue app Refreshi is urging South Africans to share the love by donating a Surprise Bag to someone in need.
Refreshi connects shoppers with Surprise Bags of quality surplus food from bakeries, cafés, delis and supermarkets at a fraction of the retail price. Image supplied.
The company aims to share 1,000 bags in a single day, surprising 1,000 South Africans with a grocery bag on World Kindness Day.
Refreshi connects shoppers with Surprise Bags of quality surplus food from bakeries, cafés, delis and supermarkets at a fraction of the retail price.
To do this, someone buys a Surprise Bag through the Refreshi app from a participating store near their family member or friend, then sends them the collection link on WhatsApp.
The recipient opens the link, visits the store and swipes on a pop-up screen to verify collection.
They don’t need to download the app, create an account, or pay anything to secure their bag of food and take it home.
“When you want to help a parent, grandparent or someone you care about with food, the technology should make that easier,” says Jakob Holbak, CEO and founder of Refreshi.
“The person receiving the meal should not have to download another app or learn a new process. If one simple link is enough to get the food into their hands, we are already winning.”
Surplus food for a surprise
The average Refreshi Surprise Bag costs R67.70 and contains food with an average retail value of R145.15.
Bags contain good food from participating bakeries, cafés, and supermarkets that might otherwise go unsold.
The busiest route for this support runs from Cape Town to Gauteng, where adult children working in the Western Cape buy food for parents and grandparents in Soweto, Tembisa and Mamelodi.
Most grocery bag links are also sent on the Friday before payday, when most local household budgets are at their tightest.
If you’re keen on sharing kindness, here’s how to send a Surprise Bag on 13 November and help someone with a meal:
- First, download or open the Refreshi app and buy a Surprise Bag from a participating store near your recipient.
- Then, share the collection link with them on WhatsApp.
- Lastly, your recipient opens the link and swipes to verify the collection in-store. No app download or account is needed on their side.
