As a company that cares deeply about the communities in which it operates, Engen has again moved to help marginalised members of society by partnering with FoodForward SA to commemorate World Food Day on Friday, 16 October 2020. 

Adhering to strict COVID-19 measures, 12 employees from South Africa’s favourite petrol station company* helped FoodForward SA pack food hampers and boxes on World Food Day for distribution to various beneficiary organisations. 

“As a brand that cares and aims to enrich lives for a sustainable future, we at Engen are humbled to partner with FoodForward SA and do our part on World Food Day.  We hope that the Engen teams’ efforts today as well as our fuel contribution earlier this year will play a small part in ensuring FoodForward SA’s ongoing success in assisting vulnerable communities,” says Khalid Latiff, Engen’s General Manager: Corporate Strategy and Communications. 

In June, Engen donated fuel to the value of R1 million to FoodForward SA to go with a number of other fuel donations that help aid organisations reach out to needy communities. 

This included R2.5m fuel and medical testing equipment passed to the Gift of the Givers to boost their humanitarian relief work, and R1 million worth of fuel directed to the Department of Health to power the emergency response vehicles of South Africa’s brave frontline health workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Over the course of the national lockdown, Engen has also partnered with the Gift of the Givers to provide food relief to the South Durban community, distributing 5 000 food hampers in the area where the Engen refinery is located, and another 7 000 food parcels in Diepsloot, Tembisa and Alexandra in Gauteng. 

“Engen fuel is powering FoodForward SA’s food aid delivery vehicles which are distributing nutritious food to our country’s most vulnerable people across all nine provinces,” adds Latiff. 

Latiff commended FoodForward SA for the incredible work that they do addressing widespread hunger and food insecurity in South Africa, including their provision of approximately 20 million meals to over 400,000 people across South Africa, through 1 000 beneficiary organisations, over the course of the national lockdown.  

“The responsibility to assist the most vulnerable is all of ours. Through our partnership with FoodForward SA, Engen hopes to help raise awareness around the plight of the hungry in South Africa and also acknowledge that everyone has a role to play,” says Latiff.   

World Food Day aims to raise global awareness and create action by highlighting the plight of vulnerable and impoverished communities who are in desperate need of food. 

As countries around the world suffer the impact of COVD-19, #WorldFoodDay is a way of calling for global solidarity to help the most vulnerable people recover from the pandemic whilst making food systems more sustainable, stronger and resilient to shock.    

Andy du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA thanked Engen for helping to raise awareness of World Food Day and hailed their generous R1 million fuel contribution earlier this year, which ensured that they could help alleviate hunger across the country. 

“Thank you to Engen for your generosity today and for caring enough to make a real difference.”   

* As voted in the Sunday Time Top Brands (every year from 2011-2019) and the Sunday Times Generation Next (every year from 2010-2020) surveys. 

#Engencares @foodforwardsa  #worldfoodday2020 #zerohunger 

For more information please contact Gavin Smith, Engen External Communications Manager, Gavin.Smith@engenoil.com   Tel: +27 21 403 4312   Cell: +27 82 379 1700