Pick n Pay supports Nelson Mandela International Day with book drive
Learners from the Strathyre School for Girls enjoy story time at Pick n Pay head offices
Pick n Pay and the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory have joined arms to help South Africans answer Nelson Mandela’s call to ‘Take Action and Inspire Change’.
From July 1 to 17, Pick n Pay Hypermarkets and stores will have collection points for the public to drop off books for the Mandela Day book drive. The books will be handed over to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory on 18 July, Mandela Day.
The books will be donated to the Mandela Day container library initiative that is linked to the 94+ Schools infrastructure project, an initiative that honours Mandela’s 94th birthday and legacy by promoting education.
The Pick n Pay “Donate a book and build a future that’s full of goodness” campaign is aimed at the general public to encourage them to donate books in stores that will be given to underprivileged children.
Bronwen Rohland, Pick n Pay’s Director of Marketing and Sustainability said it was vitally important that all children have access to books from a young age. “Books open a door to a whole new world. Through reading, children not only improve their grammar and vocabulary but also learn about people and places from other parts of the world, improving their understanding of and concern for all people,” she said.
Spokesperson for the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory Sello Hatang shares the Mandela Day book drive vision
“It is a privilege for Pick n Pay to be working together with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory. Let us not forget that Mr Mandela has spoken about how reading sustained and kept him and his fellow prisoners up to date with the real world while they were imprisoned on Robben Island. Pick n Pay has always believed that doing good is good business and through our Goodness campaign is investing in helping emerging business people and communities to develop their full potential,” she concluded.
Sello Hatang, Spokesperson for the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, is thrilled to be working with Pick n Pay on this initiative and remarked, “Just as we encourage youth to actively participate in Mandela Day, we also acknowledge the importance of literacy at a young age. Just think if every child could read, the power it would give to people and communities the world over. We would like to thank Pick n Pay for helping us drive more books to disadvantaged schools.”
He said the public are encouraged to donate books that are age appropriate and in as many of South African languages as possible. “If in doubt about what to donate, focus on story books you loved or that you know appeal to children,” he said.
