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Mugg & Bean donates half a million rand to the Nkomazi Community Trust
On Thursday, 26 November 2009, Mugg & Bean’s Gingerbread Foundation handed over half a million rand to the Nkomazi Community Trust from funds raised through the Gingerbread Foundation loyalty programme. At the official handover held at Mugg & Bean Bedford Centre, Ben Filmalter, founder of Mugg & Bean, handed over the cheque to Mandla Madi, Chairman and John Maxwell, Administering Trustee of the Nkomazi Community Trust
Since the inception of the loyalty programme in 2007, a total amount of R1 million in financial aid for education and skills development programmes, and R50, 000 in food parcels have been donated to the Nkomazi CommunityTrust.
“The main focus of the programme has always been to support the orphans and vulnerable children of the Nkomazi area in Mpumalanga” said Ben Filmalter. He also thanked all of Mugg & Bean’s franchisees and customers who participated in the programme and said “Without our franchisees and customers, today would not have been possible. Mugg & Bean has always believed that educating our nation’s children is of primary importance. It is a privilege to donate the money to an organisation which contributes towards the physical, social, educational and emotional welfare of more than 6000 orphans and vulnerable children in the rural district of Nkomazi in Mpumalanga, one of the areas most affected by HIV and Aids. Our customers and franchisees assisted in the upliftment of these disadvantaged South African children, and we thank them for it.”
John Maxwell expressed his appreciation to the staff and customers of Mugg & Bean who had made this donation possible. “Words cannot adequately convey the importance and impact of this contribution on the Nkomazi orphan community. In a life without parents and where little hope or opportunity exists, this conveys a message to these children that there are people in South Africa who really want to help. It is not only this money that will change these orphans’ lives, but the knowledge that there are people who truly care about them”
During the past two years Gingerbread bursaries have been awarded to ten Nkomazi orphans for tertiary education and skills development. In a special training initiative, the Gingerbread Foundation and Nkomazi Community Trust combined forces to create an internship programme dedicated to training the youth in this area into management positions in Mugg & Bean. Lwazi Nkosi, one of the first students to successfully complete the internship, and currently working at the Mugg & Bean Highveld Mall, said that this programme had brought meaning and purpose to his life and expressed his gratitude to the Gingerbread Foundation for the opportunity he had been given.
In 2008 the Gingerbread Foundation announced its sponsorship of a unique three year, all inclusive education bursary to any tertiary institution in the country, worth R150, 000. Two such bursaries, which are dedicated to assisting orphaned children from the Nkomazi community, will be awarded to the top performing matriculants from the classes of 2009 and 2010.
Mugg & Bean will continue to nurture the relationship with the Nkomazi Community Trust in the call to make a difference in the lives of thousands of orphans in the Nkomazi area.
Bedford donates R15 000 to SPCA On Friday 26 February, Bedford had the privilege of donating R15 000 to the Bedfordview/Germiston SPCA. Working together with SPCA manager, Rob Delport, Bedford identified a "needs list" and embarked on raising funds in aid of the SPCA through events like Bedford's Carols by Candlelight and the December Gift Wrapping Service. The SPCA parcel included amongst other items, 70 leather collars, 70 leads in various sizes (for the SPCA's Katlahong Outreach Programme), Fly Sprays, Dewormers, Nail Clippers, Tick and Flea powders, Cat baskets, more than 70 new blankets and 360 tins of food.
Bedford further wishes to thank our tenant Vet's Pantry for their support and generosity in terms of ordering products, stretching our every available rand to the max and making sure that the SPCA parcel was ready on time!
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