Pick n Pay stores were overwhelmed with the response from customers and suppliers wanting to contribute towards relief requests to support the firefighters who battled the fires in Cape Town and thousands of displaced students.
Pick n Pay staff across Cape Town quickly rallied to provide a support vehicle for those affected by the devastating blaze which began on Sunday, 18 April and destroyed key national heritage sites, including parts of the University of Cape Town (UCT).
Working closely with organisations and disaster management teams, Pick n Pay opened its stores and delivery network to quickly and efficiently deliver much needed items.
On Monday, Pick n Pay offered free delivery on essential items bought online for donation to relief efforts. Stores also enabled donations at till points and for customers to switch their Smart Shopper points into donations. In just one day, customers donated just under R200, 000 in essential items through the Pick n Pay by Bottles on demand delivery app, its online shop (pnp.co.za) and donations at the tills and through Smart Shopper.
Four Pick n Pay stores – Constantia, Claremont, Gardens and Waterfront – prepared food for students and firefighters. Since Sunday, more than 11 000 sandwiches and 445 litres of soup were made by Pick n Pay staff. Over 1,350 loaves of bread, 1000 litres of water and energy drinks combined were distributed along with other items, including energy bars, coffee, rice, fruit, milk and sugar. These were donated by Pick n Pay, suppliers and customers via in-store collection trolleys.
The fires also had a devastating impact on wildlife, and Pick n Pay supported the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and Animal Welfare with donations of produce, as well as making a R10,000 donation to each organization to assist them in caring for injured animals.
“It has been incredible to witness how how people – Pick n Pay staff, our suppliers and customers – have come together during this time and offered generously of their time and resources. I am inspired by their actions which show the true spirit of our nation’s unity. It has been an honour for us as Pick n Pay to help drive these efforts,” says Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, transformation director at Pick n Pay.