By Selenathi Botha and Luvuyo Mjekula
You probably have a vague idea what happens to the extra R2 you pay a KFC cashier whenever you place an order at the fast food chain – because almost always, the cashier tells you it is for children.
I bet you wonder which children, right?
Well, so that you are clear, in Makhanda, the money goes to the 21 learners of Eluxolweni Child and Youth Care Centre. They are the official beneficiaries of your R2.
And what best way to show gratitude and appreciation to the people who tirelessly make these donations than to give them something in return?
Last week, learners from Eluxolweni performed outside the KFC store at the Pepper Grove Mall, playing lively marimba music for KFC customers and passersby. It was also a message of gratitude to KFC and other businesses that support the centre.
Accompanied by Eluxolweni staff members, including centre director Linda Mpiyane, the learners were also seen showing off novelty cheques displaying large amounts of money. One cheque showed an amount of R128 000, and according to Mpiyane, it was the amount KFC donated to the centre for 2023.
Two weeks ago, the team put on similar eye-catching performances in front of the other KFC branch, in Market Square, also as a way of informing the public that their money was not going to waste, but towards a good cause.
Mpiyane told Grocott’s Mail: “KFC donates every year to us, and we are here to acknowledge that and say thanks KFC for feeding us. To the people of Makhanda, we are here to say we do receive your R2s. They must know that this is real – the money does come every year.”
She said they received the first donation of R55 000 in 2016.
In 2015, Mpiyane had challenged the then manager of KFC, Amy Winehouse, after she had seen a photograph advertising donations to child and youth care centres. “I was running a child and youth care centre, and I challenged her and asked which youth care centre they were donating to in Makhanda.”
Mpiyane said that same year, Winehouse advised her to write a letter to the company.
A year later, the first donation was received, and she says since then, the amount has gone up every year.
Mpiyane expressed gratitude to the people of Makhanda, saying: “We are just trying to reach out to the people of Makhanda because, through KFC, you indirectly feed us.”
She explained that the money is used exclusively to buy food for the children. The programme is “Feed a child”. “We have to produce slips that prove that we used the money to buy food. There are audited statements that say the money came in and it was spent in this manner.”
Grocott’s Mail also spoke to two learners who shared their supervisors’ sentiments. ”We want to say thank you to KFC and to the people. The money helps us to make sure we eat healthy food. We really want to say thank you very much for the support.”
Mpiyane also paid homage to Inyama Rama Butchery for donating meat worth R3000 every month and for helping the school organise important excursions for the learners.
