The Dis-chem Foundation and FutureLife have provided more than two million highly nutritious meals for the past three years.

According to The World Food Programme, one in four children in South Africa is stunted due to malnutrition. Hunger can cause physical and cognitive developmental delays, leading to long-term consequences that affect a child's ability to learn and succeed in school.

Addressing hunger in preschool children is critical for ensuring their health and well-being and setting them up for success later in life, according to the group.

Head of sustainability at City Property Lisa Carne says, "4.6 million South African children go to bed hungry every night; it's a heartbreaking statistic that has motivated us for the last six years to partner with Rise Against Hunger, where to date, we have supplied just under 650 000 meals."

Carne adds, "When The Dis-Chem Foundation approached us last year to partner with them on their feeding scheme, it was a cause we were so passionate about, we could not resist. We made a donation to the Foundation, which added another 222 000 meals to their campaign last year, and now we join them as an official partner to drive the campaign to reach even more children."

This initiative is also in line with Octodec's social impact focus. In 2022, the company spent R2.4-million in assisting communities in need through:
  • Rise Against Hunger
  • Hope Worldwide SA
  • Forever Friends
  • Unchain our Children, and
  • Door for Hope initiatives.

Furthermore, Octodec invests in communities and offers free rental space in their buildings to selected organisations, including:
  • Dignity Dreams
  • Cotlands, and
  • Santa Shoebox.

In addition, Octodec says that it is deeply involved in the People Upliftment programme, which aims to uplift students studying early childhood education. This partnership is emblematic of the group's dedication to caring for the communities they operate in. It will see Octodec distributing 50 000 meals each month in four informal settlements surrounding Johannesburg and Tshwane.

"Being part of this initiative allows the Octodec team to continue investing in our community's security, education, well-being, and sustainability. This is integral to our commitment to building dignity and creating a shared value," concludes Carne.

For more information, visit www.octodec.co.za. You can also follow Octodec on Twitter.