Shoprite's mobile soup kitchens also continue to serve up to 1 000 people daily in drought-affected areas. The group has invited its customers to join it in bringing relief by donating to the '#ActForChange' fund. This can be done by adding R5 or more to customers' grocery bills at till points in Shoprite and Checkers stores throughout South Africa.

"The difficulty our communities in the Eastern and Northern Cape are facing is unprecedented," says Lunga Schoeman, Shoprite's CSI manager. "It is in times like these that our innate spirit of ubuntu kicks in and we, as South Africans, reach out to help those in desperate need of assistance."

"Our communities are the bedrock of our business, so we cannot idly stand by as the people in the drought-affected communities struggle to make ends meet. Join us as we seek to alleviate their plight sooner rather than later," adds Schoeman.

"Gift of the Givers currently focuses on the towns hit hardest by the drought," says Badr Kazi at Gift of the Givers. "We provide animal fodder, water and care packages."

"We need all the support we can get to assist these towns and farming communities timeously before the situation deteriorates," concludes Kazi.

For more information, visit www.shoprite.co.za. You can also follow the Shoprite Group on Facebook or on Twitter.