Johannesburg - The South African Rugby Legends Association (Sarla) made a big play for the residents of Alexandra as they undertook their Winter Warmer campaign.
The legends partnered with food rescue and hunger relief organisation SA Harvest, Cell C, DSV and Richmark Holdings. The campaign, which provided blankets, food hampers, and bulk food ingredients to the Omosa Development Centre, benefited 400 children in the local community, ranging in age from newborns to 18.
CEO and founder of SA Harvest, Alan Browde, said they are taking a revolutionary approach to ending hunger by addressing the systemic causes and leveraging innovative technology while simultaneously tackling the immediate need through the effective solution of rescuing nutritious food and delivering it where it’s needed most.
The South African Rugby Legends Association (Sarla) is an organisation committed to using the sport of rugby for societal development and empowerment. With a network of rugby legends, Sarls leads various social outreach programmes across South Africa to uplift communities and ignite positive change.
The initiative saw rugby legends Mac Masina, Warren Brosnihan, Jannie du Plessis, Johnathan Mokeuna, John Allan, Krynauw Otto, Henno Mentz, Dave von Hoesllin, and Grant Esterhuizen, amongst others, team up to deliver the much-needed supplies.
‘’Collaboration is crucial in combating food insecurity and supporting our communities. Our work with Sarla and other partners exemplifies this spirit of unity, and we are proud to have played a part in making this Winter Warmer campaign a reality,” said Browde.
The Omosa Development Centre, founded by Alice Modiri, a vital force for good within the community, serves the community by providing daily meals to children from Early Childhood Development Centres, orphanages, and organisations for children with disabilities.
CEO of Sarla and former Springboks captain John Smit, emphasised the importance of community outreach in a country where many are living in poverty.
‘’We are extremely fortunate as the SA Rugby Legends Association to be able to use our position to help as many people as we can. With initiatives like the Sarla Winter Warmer, we are making a difference along with SA Harvest and our proud sponsors Cell C and DSV, and we hope to collaborate with them in this type of community work for years to come.”
Additional donations to the Winter Warmer campaign were provided by Rise Against Hunger, the OneFarm Share programme from HelloChoice and Standard Bank, and the Tzu Chi Foundation.
Organisers said the event's success reflects the power of unity and compassion in tackling challenges faced by communities, marking an inspiring chapter in Sarla's community engagement.
The South African Rugby Legends Association added that it is looking forward to extending this warmth to other communities and initiating many more such campaigns in the future.