The South African public and business sector were invited to join this awe-inspiring Mandela Day initiative by either donating their time or money. Coronation and other sponsors are already supporting the initiative. The easiest way for the public to contribute from anywhere is to visit www.ladlesoflove.org.za.
The two-day event took place on Sunday, 17 and Monday, 18 July 2022 (Mandela Day), at two venues simultaneously – Cape Town’s CTICC (Cape Town International Conference Centre) and Johannesburg’s Nelson Mandela Square. Here, the team from Ladles of Love and volunteers from the public and corporate partners including Coronation and Rhodes, set out to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest mosaic created entirely out of food cans.
Using designs by renowned artist Tertius van Dyk, the mosaics will make up a gigantic Madiba face in Cape Town and the SA flag in Joburg to showcase the South African spirit of Ubuntu in action to world audiences.
Mary-Anne Musekiwa, CFO and CSI committee chairperson at Coronation Fund Managers said this year’s world record attempt would be the culmination of a year-long partnership between Coronation and Ladles of Love, during which they were able to provide close to half a million meals to those in need. “As active corporate citizens in this country, we believe hunger – and specifically childhood hunger – is one of the most pressing issues in our society and we must act to help our vulnerable communities through these difficult economic times. We stand fully behind Ladles of Love and the important work they do, and we invite others to do the same.”
Before the pandemic, it was estimated that 30 million people in South Africa were food insecure and this number is expected to have risen significantly during the lockdown and because of spiralling current global food inflation.
Alison McCutcheon, marketing director at Ladles of Love, said: “In the spirit of ubuntu, our main reason for the record attempt is not only to secure maximum support in feeding those less fortunate, but also to celebrate Mandela Day and South Africa itself – gaining global awareness and support.
“This was a tradition started three years ago when we were looking for an event that could attract global attention and provide a platform for people to give us their time in serving their 67 minutes on Mandela Day. Our objective is to collect food, raise funds and garner awareness to alleviate hunger and poverty. But we cannot do this alone.
“We are inviting the public to participate and be part of making history by donating 67 minutes of their time at one of the venues for a donation of R150, which will go towards the vital hunger relief work of our organisation. Alternatively, they can sponsor five cans of food for R100.”
