Project School Takeover Shows the Power of Collaboration in Giving Learners a Strong Start to the School Year

Last week Pick n Pay successfully concluded its inaugural Project School Takeover, a multi-school intervention programme aimed at giving under-resourced rural learners a dignified, supported start to the academic year. Over the course of January, Pick n Pay and its partners visited rural primary schools in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, delivering essential back-to-school support to learners and their families.

Across the three schools, more than 130 learners received grocery hampers valued at R1 000 each, along with essential school supplies, shoes, vouchers and nutrition support. In addition, each school received bulk groceries for its feeding schemes and educational classroom content, ensuring that learners are supported both in and out of the classroom.

In partnership with Pick n Pay School Club, the Feed the Nation Foundation (FTN) and a wide network of suppliers, Project School Takeover champions the power of collaboration to create meaningful, long-term impact in communities under pressure.

“The purpose is to give every child and their family a start to the year like they have never had before – with peace of mind around their most basic needs,” says Katherine Madley, Chief Marketing Officer at Pick n Pay. “Together with our business teams, suppliers and partners, we have coordinated food, stationery, clothing and equipment to bring real relief to schools and the communities they support.”

A child cannot focus on learning when basic needs are unmet. Project School Takeover recognises that learner success depends on more than academic materials alone, ensuring children arrive at school nourished, prepared and ready to learn.

“By funding and coordinating the food hampers for all three schools, Feed the Nation Foundation is proud to help strengthen food security and dignity at the start of the school year,” says Deirdre Mullins from FTN. “When families are supported, children arrive at school ready to learn and grow.”

Highlights across the activations included visits from Springbok rugby players, who spent time with learners and reinforced positive messages around resilience, teamwork and aspiration.

The initiative forms part of the wider Pick n Pay School Club programme, which will support more than 2 750 primary schools across South Africa in 2026. Operating as a collaboration platform, School Club enables like-minded organisations to work together rather than in isolation, amplifying impact and reaching learners at scale.

Pick n Pay aims to grow Project School Takeover annually, supporting more under-resourced rural schools across its national footprint so that learners can reach their full potential from day one of every school year.

For more information, visit www.pnp.co.za/schoolclub