More than 2,500 FirstRand employees rolled up their sleeves across South Africa this Mandela Month, taking part in a nationwide volunteer drive aimed at fighting hunger, promoting food security and supporting vulnerable communities.
Through the FirstRand Volunteers (FRV) programme, employees from all nine provinces partnered with Meals on Wheels to pack 2,500 nutritious food parcels for families in need while also building food-producing garden planters for schools, early childhood development centres, old age homes and community-based organisations.
The initiative, valued at more than R10 million, delivered food supplies, agricultural inputs, garden infrastructure, seedlings, compost, irrigation support and ongoing training to beneficiary organisations. The programme has already reached between 50 and 60 organisations across the country that provide daily meals, education and care to children, elderly people and vulnerable families.
FirstRand said the volunteer drive was designed to make Mandela Month about more than a single day of service by encouraging employees to create lasting social impact while strengthening the company’s culture of volunteering.
“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, which has served vulnerable communities in South Africa for decades, partnered with the banking group to deliver the programme. The organisation is widely recognised for addressing hunger through food distribution while also promoting sustainable food production through community gardens.
During the volunteer activations, employees alternated between packing food parcels and assembling garden planters before planting vegetable seedlings that will continue producing food for beneficiary organisations long after Mandela Month has ended. Meals on Wheels facilitators, programme coordinators and community partners supported the activities across the country.
FirstRand said the initiative forms part of its broader employee volunteering programme, which encourages staff to dedicate their time and skills to registered charitable causes, creating meaningful and sustainable impact in the communities where they live and work.
