Buying local can do more than support South African businesses. This Mandela Month, a partnership between Proudly South African and local blanket manufacturer Aranda is showing how everyday shopping decisions can also help provide warmth and comfort to vulnerable children
Buy One. Donate One
Throughout July, Aranda’s 67 Acts of Warmth campaign is encouraging consumers to support local manufacturing while making a difference.
Through its Buy One. Donate One initiative, a blanket will be donated through Aranda Cares for every qualifying blanket purchased from the Mandela Month Collection.
Proudly South African has partnered with the campaign to highlight that choosing locally made products doesn’t just strengthen the economy. It also supports the people behind those products while creating opportunities to give back to communities.
“We often say that buying local creates jobs and grows the economy,” says Proudly South African CEO Eustace Mashimbye. “But behind every locally made product are people.”
Blankets with a bigger purpose
The partnership will culminate in a two-day Mandela Day initiative.
On 17 July, representatives from Proudly South African and Aranda will pack blankets at Aranda’s manufacturing facility. The following day, the blankets, together with hampers, will be donated to children at the Tholakele Centre of Hope in Tsakane.
Volunteers from both organisations will also spend time with the children, reflecting the spirit of service associated with Mandela Day.
Mashimbye says the initiative is also about making sure children know they are seen, valued and cared for.
A legacy of local manufacturing
Established in 1953, Aranda is South Africa’s oldest blanket manufacturer and has been producing locally made blankets for more than seven decades.
For CEO Marco Magni, the campaign is a reminder that the blankets made in the company’s factory can have an impact beyond the homes they reach.
“Every day our team comes to work to manufacture blankets that bring warmth to homes across South Africa,” he says. “This Mandela Month, it’s incredibly rewarding to know those same blankets will also bring comfort to children who need them most.”
He says partnering with Proudly South African allows the company to support local manufacturing while giving something back to communities.
Turning shopping into an act of kindness
The campaign is a reminder that buying local can have an impact beyond the checkout. Alongside supporting South African businesses and jobs, consumers can also help extend warmth to communities where it is needed most.
By purchasing from the Mandela Month Collection, shoppers can play a small part in honouring Mandela’s legacy through an everyday act of giving.