You can Support 10 000+ to help families survive lockdown

More than 10,000 South Africans are to receive food parcels and personal hygiene products during the 21-day national lockdown period.

The Support 10 000+ initiative, launched by ADreach and Supplier Development Initiative (SDI), was intended to provide food and hygiene parcels for waste pickers, car guards, traffic light waste collectors and homeless people, in light of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to implement a 21-day national lockdown.

ADreach managing director and co-founder of SDI Brad Fisher said these people would suffer the most during the lockdown because they lived under challenging circumstances. He said they would be provided with food parcels and personal hygiene products, like sanitisers, soaps, tissues, masks and gloves throughout the 21-day lockdown.

“We are living in uncertain times and everyone is anxious. But as much as it is difficult to be quarantined in our homes, things are far worse for those whose livelihoods are already compromised.

“Waste collectors, robot traders and car guards play an integral role in our society and this lockdown is going to completely cut them off from their everyday source of income,” said Fisher.

“We need to assist them. If we don’t they will not survive.

“It is these South Africans and their families who live hand-to-mouth under challenging circumstances who will suffer even more over this lockdown period.”

The contributors to the initiative are Pick n Pay, Makro and Checkers, who gave food parcels for daily distribution by government-approved distribution and logistics agents.

Fisher explained that a donation of R1,000 would help to feed a family for three weeks. He challenged other companies and appealed to the public to make donations to the cause.

“Every R1,000 donated helps to feed a family for three weeks.

“ADreach has already pledged R50,000 to cover the first 50 families and is now challenging other companies and appealing to the public to make further donations to this worthy cause,” Fisher said.

Unity Values’ partnership with SDI was to manage the fundraising platform to source the donations and procurement of food and hygiene parcels for distribution.

According to Unity Values’ managing director Gavin Houlston, meetings were scheduled with relevant stakeholders to coordinate the plan to supply to the necessary facilities.

“Unity Values have meetings scheduled with the department of social services and the City of Joburg to coordinate efforts to supply schools and [other] facilities endorsed by national and local government to ensure that we can reach as many people in need as possible,” said Houlston.

A partnership with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the department of education and social development in Gauteng was assisting with feeding the homeless who were housed in government schools.