Shoppers take part in Trolley Dash of Hope for charity 

Many people are used to racing down the aisles of a supermarket with their trolleys, grabbing items as they race along. But at 6pm on Friday, July 17, two teams dashed through Pick n Pay Hyper at Greenstone Shopping Centre for charity. This 6.7 minute Trolley Dash of Hope was in preparation for Mandela Day on Saturday, July 18, the day on which people world-wide celebrate the icon’s life by donating their time and efforts to make the world a better place.

Speaking about Mandela Day initiatives, Ward 32 Councillor Bongani Nkomo urged community members to donate towards food drops for the disadvantaged residents from Alexandra, Linbro Park and Klipfontein View. Greenstone Shopping Centre falls into this ward and heeded the call by running an online competition, giving their shoppers the opportunity to participate in the Trolly Dash of Hope. The two teams chosen were: Kim Cooke and Micaela Herb (Blondes Have More Run) and Caylee Harman-Vosloo and Anthony Vosloo (The Wolfpack).

The Trolley Dash teams raced against the clock to fill their trolleys with R6 700’s worth of groceries for those in need. It was an exhilarating finish with “The Wolfpack” declared the winners, having collected 47 items from their shopping list. The winning team pocketed vouchers worth R2 250, sponsored by Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Greenstone Shopping Centre.

The groceries collected during the trolley dash were donated to the Sir Alfred Health and Elderly Care charity and were handed over to the beneficiary on Mandela Day (July 18). The value of the groceries totalling R6 700 symbolises the 67 minutes of the time people donate to charity on this day.

“The values of compassion and inclusivity embraced by Nelson Mandela are even more reliant today, we need to come together as a community to support those who need it the most,” said Jacqui Bloom, marketing manager of Greenstone Shopping Centre.

Sir Alfred Health and Elderly Care is a non-profit organisation that was established for the improvement of the lives of the elderly, specifically disadvantaged people. The organisation has a strong vision of providing social support for the elderly and one of their principles is to foster daily hope and courage.

For more info on this organisation, visit https://www.sahec.org.za/index.php or visit their Facebook page. There is an easy way to donate to this very worthy cause on both sites.