Through a partnership with SA Harvest, Financial Advisers from across the various Liberty business channels set out to donate 30 000 meals for the hungry over their 10-week Challenge. In a true show of South African spirit of giving, they ultimately exceeded their target and raised over R150,000.
In addition, the annual Liberty Client Golf Day Series raised funds from the green fees paid by each invited guest, which included clients, Financial Advisers, Brokers, Broker Consultants and Franchise Principals. Over 320 golfers raised more than R120 000 for SA Harvest. The total donation of R272 000 yields a whopping 136 000 meals.
Access to sufficient, nutrious food is a basic human right, so it is fitting that a total amount of R272 000 was handed over to SA Harvest’s Vanessa Naude in Johannesburg on the 10th December, which incidentally happened to be International Human Rights Day, by Lindi Monyae, Liberty Executive for the Emerging Consumer Market. Access to sufficient, nutritious food is a basic human right as detailed by the UN Millenium goals and, links in with one of our flagship initiative #DriveHope. Liberty volunteers in both Cape Town and George also rolled up their sleeves to participate in the preparation of meals alongside SA Harvest.
The food parcels will be distributed by SA Harvest in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
While South Africa has often struggled with rising levels of poverty and hunger, the COVID-19 global pandemic has reduced incomes, disrupted supply chains and led to a more severe increase in food insecurity worldwide.
“A lack of food is one of the most urgent crises facing our country, with accessibility and affordability at the core of food insecurity. Businesses must help fill the gaps and practice ‘kinder capitalism’,” says Johan Minnie, Liberty Group Executive for Sales.
SA Harvest’s mission is to end hunger in South Africa by addressing systemic causes of hunger through leveraging appropriate technology and simultaneously rescuing nutritious food and delivering it where it’s needed most. For Gidon Novick, the Chairman of SA Harvest, this initiative is the kind of CSI project that more corporate entities should consider.
“Making sure that South Africans don’t go hungry is so important – we were so happy to have partnered with Liberty to make this goal come true,” says Novick.
The project is part of Liberty’s ongoing efforts to #DriveHope in difficult times. ” As a company, we believe our impact on society and our standing as a responsible corporate citizen is defined by our efforts to address financial inclusion. We have a culture of rolling up our sleeves and being in it with our communities: doing things like this is our way of helping to build the positive society we would all like to be a part of,” adds Nomaxabiso Matjila, lead specialist for Corporate Social Initiatives at Liberty.
Liberty’s #DriveHope campaign also focuses on helping those in need through random acts of kindness. Through this initiative, Liberty has already assisted almost 5 500 people, having paid out over R1 million to help people in need of financial assistance, care-packages, food parcels, and school supplies – with 12% being given to schools and other educational institutions for Liberty’s Back-to-School initiatives.
For more information on Liberty’s CSI initiatives and more, please click here to download the most recent Liberty Report to Society.
