South Africans came together to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela as FirstRand Volunteers (FRV) successfully mobilised 2,500 employees across all nine provinces in a major Mandela Month volunteer activation focused on food security, sustainability, and community support.
Working alongside long-standing community partner Meals on Wheels, FirstRand employees packed 2,500 nutritious food parcels for vulnerable families and created food-producing garden planters for schools, early childhood development centres, old age homes, and community-based organisations.
Valued at over R10 million, this year’s Mandela Month programme delivered food supplies, agricultural inputs, garden infrastructure, seedlings, compost, irrigation support, and ongoing training. The initiative has already reached approximately 50 to 60 beneficiary organisations across South Africa, many of which provide daily meals, education, care, and support services to children, elderly people, and vulnerable families.
The volunteer activations successfully turned Mandela Month into more than a single day of service. By bringing employees together around a shared purpose, FirstRand Volunteers strengthened its culture of volunteering while delivering meaningful, lasting impact for the supported organisations.
“Nelson Mandela Month reminds us that meaningful change starts with action. Through the FirstRand Volunteers Programme, our employees came together across the country to deliver both immediate relief and long-term food security solutions for the communities we serve,” said Kone Gugushe, Head of Social Investing at FirstRand Group.
Meals on Wheels has been serving vulnerable communities across South Africa for decades, helping address hunger through food distribution while promoting longer-term food security through community gardens and sustainable planting initiatives. Through this successful partnership, FirstRand Volunteers contributed to both immediate relief and longer-term community resilience.
Across the country, volunteers rotated between packing food parcels for vulnerable families and planting vegetable seedlings and assembling garden planters for beneficiary organisations. Each activation was expertly supported by Meals on Wheels facilitators, programme coordinators, and community partners.
The initiative forms part of FirstRand’s broader employee volunteering programme, which encourages colleagues to use their time and skills to support registered causes that matter to them while creating meaningful social impact.
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