AS the country remains in the grip of the worst drought in decades, the Shoprite Group responded by introducing a till-point donation facility for those who wish to give financial assistance to communities left without water.
Highway residents will be able to assist drought relief efforts while doing their grocery shopping at any Shoprite or Checkers supermarket by adding donations in increments of R5 to their purchases.
For months, the Shoprite Group been reaching out to communities worst hit by the devastating drought through its own Project Thirst initiative in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as partnerships with a number of other organisations in other areas left without water. In recent weeks, it has donated more than 300 000 litres of water and delivered thousands more to communities experiencing water shortages.
The cost of collecting water and transporting it across vast distances is, however, prohibitive. It is economically considerably more viable to purchase large volumes of fresh water directly from supplier depots as close to the affected communities as possible. With Shoprite’s #ActForChange Disaster Relief Fund, the public can now assist to extend relief efforts substantially, as this will ensure that efforts are ultimately spent on purchasing water rather than the transportation thereof.
The money collected will initially be used to bring relief to those communities affected by water shortages. From time to time however, the #ActForChange Disaster Relief Fund will also assist other disaster management initiatives on a national and community level, by providing relief to the people of South Africa in partnership with organisations such as the SA Red Cross Society, Working on Fire and Foodbank SA.
