Ongoing relief efforts during Cape Storm & Knysna Fires

Following the severe storm which hit the Western Cape this week as well as the raging fires in and around Knysna, the Shoprite Group has donated hundreds of thousands of Rands in goods and kind, and continues to work with the relevant disaster management authorities to assist the thousands of people who have been affected.

Customers wishing to take hands with the Group to further assist those affected by the current disasters in the Western Cape, can do so by donating at their local Shoprite or Checkers store.

Customers wishing to take hands with us can do so in one of the following ways:

• By donating non-perishable foods, water, nappies and blankets at any Shoprite and Checkers store in the Western Cape.

• By making a donation towards the #ActForChange Fund at the till point in any Shoprite or Checkers store. All of the Fund’s proceeds have been redirected to assist disaster management initiatives in Knysna until further notice.

• By participating in Shoprite’s #YellowPacketChallenge: customers are encouraged to fill a yellow grocery packet with everyday essentials and to give it to an individual or organisations in need. Shoprite will match every donation made with a donation of its own.

The Shoprite Group is committed to supporting and reaching out to local communities, and has a long history of taking hands with local partners to respond to needs quickly and effectively.

On Wednesday, 7 June 2017, the Group responded as follows:

• The Shoprite Mobile Soup Kitchen served warm meals to more than 1 300 people in various affected township areas, including Gugulethu, Kleinvlei, Delft and Wesbank.

• The retailer reached out to The Haven’s 15 night shelters across the Western Cape with non-perishable food items and blankets following the additional pressure on the shelters’ resources following an influx of vulnerable community members.

• Blankets were distributed at The Haven’s night shelter, whilst beanies and scarves were handed out to hundreds of children in Wesbank.

• Checkers Plettenberg Bay donated water, energy bars and other food items to firefighters and volunteers battling the raging fires in and around Knysna.

On Thursday, 8 June 2017, the Group is assisting as follows:

• The Shoprite Mobile Soup Kitchen will continue serving warm soup and bread to affected areas in the Cape Metropole.

• Checkers Hout Bay is providing a hot meal to displaced residents of Imizamo Yethu who are being accommodated at a local hall.

• Another Shoprite Mobile Soup Kitchen has been dispatched to Knysna, where it will serve warm meals and distribute blankets to the thousands of people displaced as a result of the fires.

• Checkers Knysna in Rawson Street has made the undercover parking area above the store available to Gift of the Givers, who will be using this space as a storage and collection point for all donations received.

Update 12 June:

On Friday, 9 June 2017, a Shoprite truck containing 30 pallets of non-perishable food items such as rice, samp and beans was sent to Knysna to make up 3 000 food hampers.

Our Mobile Soup Kitchen continues to serve displaced Garden Route residents on a daily basis, whilst staff members from the Group’s home office in Cape Town departed for Knysna on Monday, 12 June 2017 to assist with the ongoing disaster relief efforts in the affected areas.