Madiba Day - House of York and Eveready Feed the Hungry
Madiba Bay1
Mandela may be gone but his legacy sure will live on! Live on it did at Eveready on Madiba day as House of York and Eveready gave up their 67 minutes to make sandwiches for the hungry. Music jamming, knives buttering; laughs cackling; dance moves jamming, we teamed up and managed to make a total of 731 sandwiches!
These, along with extra bread and oranges, we gave to Food Bank SA. Food Bank SA supports 60 charities in Port Elizabeth and feed about 46 000 people daily. Their vision is "A South Africa without hunger or malnutrition" – a vision Tata Madiba would be proud of!
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: "Nelson Mandela Day is a call to action. Each of us can celebrate this day by helping to address real problems in our communities. Together we can give great meaning to our celebration by paving the way for a better future.”
It is the fifth year since the United Nations in 2009 declared July 18 an international day aimed at bringing people together to fight poverty and promote peace and reconciliation. It was inspired by a call Nelson Mandela made a year earlier, for the next generation to take on the burden of leadership in addressing the world’s social injustices when he said that "it is in your hands now”. This year, over 126 countries took part in this initiative.
"It was a very fun day that created a joyful atmosphere and teamwork within the company. With all the music playing and slideshows of the staff, I think it was a very good thing.” – Catherine Lochhead, Product Designer, House of York
"I think it is a great way to bring people together, building moral, for a greater good.” – Jacqui Brown, Marketing Manager of House of York
"It was so great to see how everyone pulled in. We all teamed up and had fun all in the name of a great cause. It is humbling to think that with a bit of our time we helped provide a meal for 731 hungry people.” – Jadine van Breda, In-house Graphic Designer for House of York and Eveready.
In the words of Nelson Mandela himself: "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”
