Staying true to the spirit of giving and selflessness, the Rag Community Service (CS) focused on giving back to the University of the Free State (UFS) community. The Rag CS aimed at collecting funds and non-perishable food items on the Bloemfontein Campus to alleviate food insecurity.

Jaco Faul, Rag Manager, said everything collected will bring relief. “All the food and money collected will go back to the UFS food store and, from there, it will be distributed to students,” he said.

Giving brings relief to NSH Programme

For their 67 minutes for Mandela Day, the Rag CS encouraged both students and staff members to contribute to this initiative. The funds and non-perishable food were collected in front of the Main Building on Friday 22 July 2016.

All proceeds were contributed towards the university’s No Student Hungry (NSH)programme. The NSH Programme was established in 2011 to help needy students with a food bursary which provides them with the necessary nourishment to excel in their academic studies.

Following in the footsteps of former leaders

Monique Brandt, Personal Assistant as well as Finance of the Rag Executive Committee, says that Madiba remains a very influential figure for the youth because he set the example of selflessness, living out the spirit of Ubuntu. “If every young person could follow the example of Mandela, then you already have a leader inside of you,” she said.