Sasol For Good Volunteers Impact 881 Childline-Supported Families Bringing Food and Economic Relief on Mandela Day
This Nelson Mandela Day, Sasol for Good, our Employee Volunteering and Financial Contribution programme, a name that symbolises our good corporate citizenship agenda to consistently be a good neighbour to our stakeholders particularly our fenceline communities, partnered with Childline to address food security in child-headed households, foster homes and among the elderly who were in need.
Mandela Day, celebrated on 18 July, provided the perfect opportunity for 1 294 Sasol for Good volunteers to mobilise as a force for good. Activities took place in Germiston, Ekandustria, Sasolburg, Johannesburg area, Secunda, Brandspruit and KwaZulu Natal (KZN). Participants worked efficiently to pack food hampers and buckets.
Each household received two buckets or one hamper, both valued at around R400, providing essential economic and food relief.
The contents included maize meal, baked beans, tin fish, soup, soya mince, rice, sugar, tea bags, Cremora, juice, super beans and biscuits.
Staff were involved in packing, quality control, and moving items to designated areas for counting and storage before sending them to Childline.
In the Sasol For Good Nelson Mandela Day 2024 video, Sarel Booyens, Division Head, summed up the day’s activities: “The hype, spirit and eagerness was overwhelming. It’s really, great.” A volunteer also remarked of the event, “The giver or server is the one that benefits the most, but Mandela Day unites us as a country and that’s awesome.”
Childline Gauteng received 60% or 480 of Sasol Place’s total 794 food hampers packed, amounting to 15% of the total 3 249 Mandela Day items.
Thirty-two packs were distributed to sites in Soweto, Diepsloot, Thembisa, Orange Farm, Sebokeng and Kathorus. Meanwhile, Inner City, Tshwane Region 1, Sunlight Safe House (foster care home) and Help Line – Gauteng locations received 72 meal packs.
Childline Mpumalanga also focussed on a similar demographic, receiving 171 food packs from Sasol Ekandustria and 230 packs from Sasol Sasolburg.
The remaining 2 368 perishable food items were distributed among Rays of Hope, Umephi Welfare Youth Centre and Thembisa Child Welfare. Fenceline communities in Kathorus and surrounding areas also benefitted, along with Sasolburg, Secunda, Gauteng and KZN.
As we reflect on Mandela Day 2024, we take pride in the impact we made. Through our combined efforts, we brought hope, nourishment, and a sense of belonging to those who needed it most. This day reminded us of the power of unity and the importance of giving back to our communities while addressing food security in impoverished areas.
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