South Africa is a water-scarce country, with many communities lacking reliable access to fresh water. When Outdoor Warehouse became aware of the need amongst rural communities in the Northern and Eastern Cape for a way of efficiently transporting water, they stepped up with a donation of 1 400 25-litre containers. The containers, with a combined value of R231 660 and combined volume of 35 000 litres, were distributed to communities by Water Warriors, an established non-profit organisation based in Cape Town. In addressing what was clearly a crucial need in these communities, Outdoor Warehouse has been able to not only facilitate access to water for drinking, but have enabled members of the community to practice effective hygiene protocols in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.

As lockdown restricted people’s access to food and work, The Angel Network, which is an NPO, rose to the occasion and created an opportunity to distribute food parcels to those in need. They developed Community Action Networks (CANs), which allow neighbourhoods to raise money and assemble food parcels for designated families in order to alleviate starvation and poverty. The Orange Farm CAN, has, since the start of the lockdown, distributed over 1 000 food parcels to families in Orange Farm and assisted with various initiatives in Alex. More recently, the CAN has also begun to assist the Lusemanzi Early Childhood Development Centre. Their work was made more effective through the support of Long4Life, which donated R100 000 to be used to provide food parcels to families in need. These parcels have been used to feed close on 100 families (with an average of four dependants per household) for the last six months. The remaining money is now being used to help the children at the Lusemanzi Centre to celebrate Christmas properly, and to provide food hampers to see families through the Christmas period.

To say thank you to those who put their lives on the line at work and keep their families safe at home, the Sorbet Group delivered 80 gift sets to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital Emergency and COVID Unit. The head of the department and her team were delighted with the gifts and touched by the gesture. “It really demonstrates the compassion and kindness The Sorbet Group has at this difficult time, and my team and I are thrilled with their useful and lovely gift sets we each received,” said Professor Motara.

Sorbet Empowering Wo+men (SEW), the Sorbet Group’s initiative to create positive sustainable change, has filled an important gap by addressing the unmet demand for hairstylists, groomers and beauty therapists, and trains people for these positions so they’ll find work easily at salons and barber shops across the country. Some 200 lives have been positively affected by the SEW initiative, with 90% of these graduates between 2014 and 2019 having successfully found employment as professionals in the beauty and grooming industry.

Long4Life donated Sorbet products to the Rohan Bloom Foundation (an organisation dedicated to alleviating the pain and suffering of childhood cancer), and Sydney Fakude, the Long4Life driver, was happy to pose with them before loading them up for delivery.

In 2019, Chill Beverages employees rolled up their sleeves to donate blood, saving lives one drop at a time as part of a six-month initiative in collaboration with the Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS). Twenty-nine staff members volunteered to participate in the drive, donating much-needed blood that will be used in life-saving procedures in hospitals throughout the Western Cape.

In 2019, Sportsmans teamed-up with Sporting Chance to create Sportsmans Warehouse Street Soccer – a fantastic community-involvement project. There was never a dull moment making sure everyone involved in the tournament had the needed equipment and apparel, but once it kicked off it was an instant success. Not even bruises and scrapes from the tar could stop the points from rolling in. Sportsmans Warehouse and Sporting Chance will continue to use the beauty of sport to uplift communities and bring joy to the 140 energetic players.

“There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela. Sportsmans Warehouse teams across South Africa honoured Mr. Mandela’s words on 18 July by contributing their time to deserving causes in their communities. Whether preparing meals, donating blankets or taking part in exciting, shared activities, the experience proved rewarding and inspiring. Sportsmans donates sports equipment every year, including netball, rugby and soccer balls, water bottles and socks. The teams joined this worthy cause to support their local communities, providing a helping hand for children’s learning and development. It proved to be a wonderful day working together, having fun and making a difference.

In 2019, Score stepped up its involvement as associate sponsor of the Bayhill Premier Cup youth soccer tournament. The Bayhill Premier Cup’s 30th Anniversary, Powered by Score Energy Drink, took place over the Easter Weekend at Erica Park in Belhar on Wednesday 17 to 22 April 2019. Now in its 30th year, the Bayhill Premier Cup is Africa’s largest youth development soccer tournament. Numerous soccer legends have risen through its ranks including Benni McCarthy and Steven.

In 2018 to participate in fun sporting activities with the learners, including obstacle courses, netball, soccer and rugby. Although situated in the heart of Cape Town, most of the learners travel from outlying disadvantaged areas. The team was privileged to join them on the day, participating in sports and also providing a meal afterwards. Nobody wanted to stop, but in