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, says FRV.

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, adds FRV.

The volunteer activations aimed to turn Mandela Month into more than a single day of service. By bringing employees together around a shared purpose, FirstRand Volunteers aimed to strengthen its culture of volunteering while delivering meaningful, lasting impact for the supported organisations, says FRV.

"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," says Kone Gugushe, Head of Social Investing at FirstRand Group.

Meals on Wheels has been serving vulnerable communities across South Africa for decades, aiming to help address hunger through food distribution while promoting longer-term food security through community gardens and sustainable planting initiatives. Through this partnership, FirstRand Volunteers aimed to contribute to both immediate relief and longer-term community resilience, says FRV.

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 supported by Meals on Wheels facilitators, programme coordinators and community partners, adds FRV.

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, concludes FRV.

For more information, visit www.firstrand.co.za.

*Image courtesy of contributor