Iwisa No.1 launched its exciting ‘Share More Meals’ purpose-led campaign at Moriting Primary School in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni this week. The initiative is a partnership with Feed the Nation, an NPO of retailer Pick ‘n Pay which sees a portion of every Iwisa No.1 product purchased at participating Pick ‘n Pay stores in Gauteng, donated to Moriting Primary. The campaign, which runs until the end of December, coincides with Iwisa No 1’s 70th anniversary. It celebrates the power of everyday purchases to change what happens in a classroom. Learners, educators and caregivers were specially acknowledged at the launch, recognising the role a full plate and tummy play in a child’s ability to learn and succeed.
Launched in the brand’s 70th birthday year, the Iwisa No.1 Share More Meals initiative recognises that a shopping decision made in an aisle can make a difference beyond the purchase at the till.
“This campaign turns an ordinary purchase into something that reaches learners in their classrooms,” explains Sibongile Mooko, Premier Marketing Executive: Milling and Group Insights. “With every Iwisa No.1 product bought at participating Pick ‘n Pay stores in Gauteng, consumers will now be able to directly support learners at Moriting Primary School, a Feed the Nation beneficiary. It costs the shopper nothing extra; allowing them simply to purchase with purpose. This is how we fill more than bowls.”
Rooted in purpose, Share More Meals sits within Premier’s broader commitment to earn the right to operate in the communities it serves. The campaign, which has been launched nationally, includes Iwisa No 1, Super Sun and Nyala in their hometowns and regions of Gauteng, Eastern and Western Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal respectively.
While the initiative was successfully piloted in 2024 and 2025, this year’s campaign turns its attention to schools. “The mechanic makes it different to a conventional CSI campaign,” Mooko adds. “The donation is built by consumers, not written in a boardroom. It accumulates over the campaign period, it is audited, and it is handed over publicly at the beneficiary school so the community can see exactly what they have contributed to.”
One of South Africa’s most trusted staples, Iwisa No.1 has spent seven decades in South African kitchens delivering on its promise of ‘Fills Just Right’. “For more than three generations, families have trusted us to fill their homes and the tummies of their children and loved ones,” says Mooko. “A bowl of porridge is never just a bowl of porridge. It is concentration in a maths lesson. It is a learner who stays in class instead of going home at first break. Through Share More Meals, we are turning a familiar choice into an intentional contribution to a child’s school day by supporting their school.”
The Premier team worked closely with Pick ‘n Pay School Club to identify beneficiaries already receiving structured support through the retailer’s foundation, Feed the Nation. The five schools selected in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal were further endorsed by the Department of Basic Education. This will ensure the funds raised land in schools where they are needed most.
“Nutrition is where our work at Feed the Nation always starts, so this partnership with Premier was a natural fit for us,” says Anwar Mooideen, Pick ‘n Pay Corporate Social Investment Manager. “The difference between a good day and a difficult day for a learner can come down to the support available for them at school. When Premier approached us about making every purchase count for those schools, the decision was an easy one. Their values mirror our own, and we are proud to walk this journey with them.”
Located in Tembisa, Moriting Primary School serves a community where educators routinely carry responsibilities extending well beyond the curriculum. It is one of five beneficiaries which will be profiled over the course of the campaign.
Mooideen says the partnership reflects how Pick ‘n Pay understands its role in the areas it trades in: “We don’t think of ourselves as just ‘retailers’. We are the store down the road, and our customers are our family. Our footprint, and the reach of the Pick ‘n Pay School Club, means we can get support to communities that would otherwise be hard to reach. This campaign is about more than giving. It is about our tills in this community, working for these children.”
In closing, Mooko encouraged Tembisa residents to get behind the campaign. “What these schools receive in December will not be decided in an office in Johannesburg. It will be decided in your trolley. Every bag of super maize meal, every packet of samp, every bag of instant porridge bought at Pick ‘n Pay adds to it. Make your everyday choice count and back the schools in your own community. Because when we nourish a child, we strengthen a family, and when we strengthen families, we grow a nation. Let’s share more meals!”