South African chicken franchise Tasty Gallos has set itself a target of facilitating R1 million worth of charitable donations over the next year, building on an initial drive that saw goods valued at nearly R600,000 channelled to humanitarian organisations in July alone.<\/p>\n
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The initiative, known as Gallo Care, is being formalised as an ongoing donation drive that brings together franchisees, business partners, friends, family, and others within the Tasty Gallos network to aid charitable causes. Tasty Gallos founder and CEO Muhammed Gutta explains that the initial donations represent the starting point of a much larger commitment by the franchise to mobilising support for vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re a proudly homegrown South African brand, and we see ourselves as part of the communities we serve. Those communities have supported our growth, and we want to make sure we’re giving something meaningful back.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThrough Gallo Care, we want to bring a little more joy to people’s lives and provide practical relief where it’s needed most, right at grassroots level. These first donations have already taken us a considerable way towards our goal, but the intention is to keep going and encourage more people and businesses within our wider network to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The first round of donations included assorted goods such as toys, furniture, stationery, and plasticware, worth over R446,000, to Gift of the Givers, one of South Africa\u2019s best-known humanitarian organisations, and approximately R150,000 worth of goods to Mubz Relief, the relief arm of Madrasah Urwah Bin Az-Zubayr.<\/p>\n
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In a letter acknowledging the contribution, Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman thanked Tasty Gallos for its support, describing the organisation’s work as bringing \u201chope and opportunity to people in dire distress\u201d, and delivering aid while preserving the dignity of those receiving assistance.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, the Johannesburg Children\u2019s Home, which has cared for vulnerable children since 1892, received a range of practical items such as toys, party supplies, and hair accessories, all intended to bring smiles to the faces of the children in its care.<\/p>\n
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In a letter to Gutta, the home’s Executive Director, Sipho Mdluli, highlighted the financial pressure facing non-profit organisations and the importance of contributions such as these in sustaining its care programmes. \u201cYour partnering makes a real difference in the lives of the children. They have all suffered so many upheavals in their lives,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
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Gutta says that Gallo Care aims to develop lasting relationships with organisations like these that understand the needs of local communities. The initiative is not a registered non-profit organisation, but a means of coordinating donations and directing goods or financial contributions to established NPOs.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOrganisations like Gift of the Givers and the Johannesburg Children’s Home are doing incredibly important work, often under very difficult financial circumstances. They know where help is truly needed most. Our role is to contribute whatever we can, and to also bring together people and businesses who want to help and connect them with organisations that can put their contributions to good use.<\/p>\n
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The involvement of franchisees is particularly important because Gutta wants Gallo Care to grow alongside the brand.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen you’re building a business, it’s easy to tell yourself that you’ll start giving back once you’ve reached a certain size or level of success. But I believe it’s important to establish that commitment early, so that it becomes part of how the business operates as it grows.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOur franchisees are business owners in their own right, and many have already shown a willingness to help. We want to encourage that spirit and make it easier for everyone in the Tasty Gallos family to participate. Individually, a franchisee may only be able to contribute so much. But when we combine our efforts, we can make an enormous difference to organisations doing important work in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The next priority is maintaining momentum and working towards the R1 million target. \u201cReaching R1 million will be an important goal, but I don’t want it to become the finish line. The real success will be seeing Gallo Care continue long after that target has been reached, with even more organisations benefiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
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