A CALL has been made for South Africans to donate new or clean, previously loved blankets and children’s clothing.
Pick n Pay has placed collection boxes at 45 of its clothing stores across the country, which will be available until mid-October.
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‘Many South Africans are experiencing hardship and by creating partnerships such as this, we can collectively make a difference in communities,’ said transformation director at Pick n Pay, Suzanne Ackerman-Berman.
The company has partnered with Operation Smile South Africa, SOS Children’s Villages and Rays of Hope to lead the drive.
‘Every three minutes a child is born with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. This statistic doesn’t change – even during a global pandemic.
‘We recognise that our communities need more than surgical support during this current pandemic, and through this initiative with Pick n Pay, we are hoping to help keep our children and vulnerable people warm as well.
Customers can also pledge a direct donation to Operation Smile by scanning the Snap Scan or Zapper code at PnP Clothing till points at participating stores.
Rays of Hope – which looks after families in Alexandra Township – says they are hugely grateful to be a beneficiary.
‘We have been based in Alexandra for almost 30 years and work with a network of organisations in the area, so we know that the donated items will be equitably distributed to the most vulnerable people,’ said Sihle Mooi, CEO of Rays of Hope.
SOS Children’s Villages’ SA National Director, Patrick Kulati, said the partnership will benefit children who are growing up loved and valued in SOS programmes.
DHL Supply Chain and DHL Express have also partnered in the initiative and will collect all donations from stores and deliver them to beneficiaries of Operation Smile, SOS Children’s Villages and Rays of Hope.
‘With many vulnerable children and disadvantaged families currently in need during the Covid-19 pandemic, DHL is excited to join forces once again in order to support this initiative by providing logistics ,’ said DHL’s communications and marketing head, Jarryd Pretorius.
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