In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Pick n Pay has turned its mushrooms – or at least the packaging – pink.
During October, Pick n Pay customers can buy a 250g pink punnet of sliced or whole fresh white button mushrooms and R1 from every punnet sold will be donated to Reach for Recovery, a breast cancer support group.
When research revealed that fresh mushrooms could play an important role in the fight against breast cancer, the Power of Pink campaign was conceptualised by the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) in October 2009 and within months Pick n Pay came on board to support the campaign.
Nine years later, just under R3,5 million has been raised through the campaign. Last year alone, half a million rand was raised.
All proceeds go directly to help Reach for Recovery’s Ditto Project which provides comfort and dignity to underprivileged women who have suffered the trauma of a mastectomy and are in need, yet unable to afford, silicone breast prostheses.
With the funds raised from the pink punnets, almost 5 000 disadvantaged women have received silicone breast prostheses and a further approximate 12 000 women have received support packs following their mastectomies.
“Breast cancer survivors face a myriad of challenges each day. The Power of Pink allows us to transform compassion into practical and life changing action,” says Reach for Recovery’s National Management Board Chairperson and breast cancer survivor, Stephné Jacobs.
Suzanne Ackerman-Berman, Director of Transformation at Pick n Pay, says that they have also partnered with the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) this year to launch a small pilot project in an effort to create further awareness for breast cancer and prevention in particular.
Select Pick n Pay stores in the Western Cape will sell branded CANSA 100% RPET pink reusable bags and R1 from every bag will be donated to CANSA. Based on customer feedback, the bags will be rolled out to more stores next year.
“Everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. We want to raise awareness about how women can lower the risk of breast cancer. The more we speak about it and the more awareness we create in-store, the more we can help the women in our lives,” says Ackerman-Berman.
The pink punnets mushrooms are available in all Pick n Pay stores nationwide.
For more information:
Janine Caradonna
CORPORATE IMAGE
Tel: +27 83 652 6018
Email janine@corporateimage.co.za