A simple box of mandarins can help make a life-saving difference.
Through its longstanding partnership with the Children’s Hospital Trust, Pick n Pay’s annual mandarin campaign turned blue once again this June. The campaign aimed to help raise funds for a R7.8 million neurosurgical microscope for the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
This advanced microscope will be used during complex brain and spinal surgeries, giving specialist surgeons the precision they need when operating on some of the hospital’s most vulnerable young patients. In these delicate procedures, greater accuracy can reduce complications, support recovery and help prevent lifelong disability or death.
Now in its fifth year, the Pick n Pay blue mandarin box campaign continues to transform an everyday grocery purchase into meaningful support for paediatric healthcare. Throughout June, a portion of the proceeds from every specially marked blue box of Pick n Pay mandarins sold was donated towards the Children’s Hospital Trust’s fundraising efforts.
“Every box of mandarins sold brings us closer to providing world-class surgical care for children who need it most. A tool like this neurosurgical microscope can mean the difference between a successful outcome, lifelong disability or death. That is the real weight of what customers are contributing to,” said Rebecca Fifield, Technical Manager for Fresh Produce at Pick n Pay.
A partnership that creates lasting impact
Pick n Pay has been a valued donor and partner of the Children’s Hospital Trust for many years, helping to raise funds for essential facilities and medical equipment at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
In 2025, the blue mandarin box campaign supported the upgrade of the hospital’s Short Stay Ward—a critical unit where young patients are assessed and stabilised before being admitted to a ward or discharged to continue their recovery at home.
Celebrating 70 years of life-saving care in 2026, the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital treats more than 250,000 children each year. It is a leading referral centre for complex and critical paediatric cases from across South Africa and the wider region.
The new neurosurgical microscope will strengthen the hospital’s ability to perform highly specialised procedures and continue providing world-class care to children who need it most.
“We are deeply grateful for our longstanding partnership with Pick n Pay, which has played a vital role in raising funds for life-saving facilities and equipment at the hospital. We encourage the public to support this important initiative and help us reach our goal of acquiring a neurosurgical microscope for the most vulnerable members of our communities by purchasing a box of mandarins from Pick n Pay,” said Taryn Rubenstein, Donor Relations Manager: Corporate Fundraising at the Children’s Hospital Trust.
Every blue box purchased represented more than a healthy choice—it was an opportunity to help equip specialist surgeons, strengthen paediatric healthcare and give critically ill children the best possible chance of recovery.
