Event information
FoodForward SA hosts its annual Mandela Day food packing event in Cape Town on 17 July 2026, the day before Mandela Day, at the Century City Conference Centre. The event invites individuals, families, schools, and corporate groups to spend 67 minutes sorting and packing essential food groceries for distribution to food-insecure communities through FoodForward SA's network of beneficiary organisations.
FoodForward SA is a South African non-profit organisation founded in 2009 that recovers surplus food from retailers, manufacturers and farms and redistributes it to over 1,000 beneficiary organisations. Including feeding schemes, shelters, and early childhood development centres, reaching more than 450,000 people per day across South Africa. The Mandela Day packing event is one of the organisation's largest annual volunteer activations.
The R67 ticket price is a charitable donation, symbolic of the 67 minutes of service associated with Mandela Day. Paid parking is available at the venue. Participants are advised to wear comfortable clothing and shoes and to bring their ticket (digital or printed) for scanning at the entrance. Booking is essential, and slots sell out quickly, particularly in Cape Town. The event also runs simultaneously in Johannesburg (Gallagher Convention Centre) and Durban (Durban ICC) on the same day.