Students and Staff Came Together for the Wits Food Bank

On Thursday, 30 July 2026, the Nelson Mandela Foundation joined the Wits University community for its annual Mandela Day activation, bringing together students, staff and partners in support of students experiencing food insecurity.

The community collected food, toiletries and other essential items for the Wits Food Bank, which is run by the Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach Centre. Throughout the year, the Food Bank supports students in need by providing food parcels, warm meals and toiletries.

The initiative reflected the important role universities can play beyond the classroom. Universities are spaces where ideas are developed, but they are also places where young people can engage with the challenges facing their communities, develop a sense of responsibility towards others and cultivate the values of active citizenship.

By coming together to support fellow students, the Wits community demonstrated that service can take many forms. A food parcel, a donated toiletry item or simply the decision to give one's time can make a meaningful difference to someone navigating difficult circumstances.

This is at the heart of Mandela Month. It asks us not only to remember Nelson Mandela's commitment to service and social justice, but to consider how we can put those values into practice in the spaces and communities where we live, work and learn.

At Wits, that call was answered collectively — demonstrating how universities can help cultivate a generation of citizens who are willing to look beyond themselves and play an active role in building more caring and equitable communities.