Johannesburg - In 67 minutes, you can make a change, is what Nelson Mandela believed, and at the Supreme Poultry plant in Tigane, near Hartbeesfontein in the North West, Mandela Day means pitching in and making a change in their community. But, says general manager Morné Jerling, caring for the people of Tigane is not just a one-day-a-year affair.
Sharing the bounty of protein that they produce, Supreme delivers chicken to schools, homes for the elderly and other organisations that care for vulnerable people in the area every month, over two tons of meat every year.
“We are one of the biggest employers in the area, and a substantial percentage of the 1200 people who work at our plant live in and around Tigane. It is important to us to play a positive role in our community,” says Jerling.
For Mandela Day this year, the team set their sights on the high school near the plant, and decided to prepare care packages and treats for the learners and to offer some elbow grease in the form of a thorough clean-up of the school grounds, accompanied by the popular company mascot, the human-sized chicken, Unity.
“Unity is a hit where ever he goes, and the kids just loved his antics,” says Jerling.
Responding to a pressing need at Gaenthone Secondary School, where female learners sometimes miss school when they have their period, Supreme bought a consignment of sanitary protection and brought this along as a Mandela Day gift of dignity, along with chocolates for everyone.
“Education was so important to Madiba, and we were motivated by the thought of girls missing out because they cannot afford sanitary towels on those days of the month when they need them. Every girl deserves to continue her education without the burden of discomfort, embarrassment or the loss of dignity.”
Supreme also offers a tutoring programme at Gaenthone Secondary School, in which they sponsor a stipend for four tutors to assist matriculants in the important subjects that often cause problems for learners: maths, physical science, accounting and maths literacy.
Chicken from the Supreme plant also played a starring Mandela Day role this week in the Chefs with Compassion soup challenge, in which chefs in commercial and individual kitchens across the country aimed to cook 67 000 litres of soup to be delivered to community food distribution centres for a Madiba birthday lunch.
Supreme and its parent company Country Bird Holdings, donated chicken worth R67 000 to this worthy cause and helped to not only achieve the target but surpass it. A total of 104 360 litres of soup was cooked on Mandela Day and served in soup kitchens across the country.
“We are incredibly grateful to poultry companies like Country Bird Holdings, who backed the #67000litres for Mandela Day challenge without hesitation for the third year in a row, despite the poultry industry being severely affected by load shedding.
Their contribution has offered CwC’s existing kitchen hubs the means to add nourishing protein to their soups, and has contributed largely to this resounding success of this year’s challenge. Together, we have made a tremendous impact, nourishing those in need and raising awareness about food waste and hunger, ” said national project manager of Chefs with Compassion, Coo Pillay.