The Johannesburg Expo Centre is inviting the people, companies and communities that make events possible to become Hands-On-Heroes with Ladles of Love
There are venues that host events. Then there are venues that hold the city’s memories.
For decades, the Johannesburg Expo Centre has been a place where people gather in their thousands. Exhibitors, suppliers, contractors, performers, media, caterers, cleaners, security teams, production crews, corporate guests, families and visitors – have all moved through the halls.
This Mandela Day, the ask is for that same community to gather for a different reason.
On Wednesday, 22 July 2026, the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec will host Ladles of Love’s Hands-On Heroes Mandela Day event, a ready-planned volunteer experience created to support the nutrition and education of 20,000 preschool children in under-resourced communities.
The invitation is open to everyone who sees this venue as part of their working, business, or family life.
Suppliers. Event organisers. Exhibitors. Stand builders. Corporate teams. Agencies. Production houses. Contractors. Service providers. Visitors. Local businesses. Schools. Faith communities. Families. Friends.
The Hands-On Heroes event is simple by design. You do not need to plan your own Mandela Day initiative. You do not need to source materials, find beneficiaries or work out the logistics. Ladles of Love has already done the groundwork.
You book your spot, arrive on the day and give 67 minutes of hands-on service.
Participants will take part in practical activities that help feed, teach and support preschool children. Depending on the activity selected, volunteers will make sandwiches, pack nutrition boxes, create preschool learning materials, make teaching aids or build grow boxes that support urban farmers supplying preschools with fresh produce.
The items hand made on the day will go to preschools in communities who need them. Ticket sales also help feed children, with each ticket providing a child with two healthy meals a day for a whole month.
That matters.
Mandela Day can sometimes become a date in the calendar that people want to honour, but struggle to organise properly. The intention is there. The pressure is real. Businesses want to involve staff. Families want to teach children about service. Community groups want to do something useful. But finding the right activity, the right beneficiary and the right structure can take more time than people have.
Hands-On Heroes removes that barrier.
For companies, it is a strong opportunity for employee engagement with real community value. Teams can book together, take part in a shared activity and leave knowing their time and contribution are connected to children who need nutrition, learning support and care.
For the events industry, it is also personal.
Our industry knows what it means to build something by hand. We know the effort that goes into the behind the scenes. This is another kind of build. A build for children. A build for communities. A build for the kind of city we all say we want to live and work in.
The Johannesburg Expo Centre is proud to be part of this call to action. Mandela Day asks South Africans to give 67 minutes. Ladles of Love has made those 67 minutes practical, organised and easy to step into.
Event details
Date: Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Venue: Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec
Timeslots: 09h00, 11h00, 13h00 and 15h00
Activities: Make, Create, Craft or Grow
Tickets: R300 per person
Students and pensioners: R200
To book tickets: Visit www.ladlesoflove.co.za and book your Hands-On Hero spot.
Companies and groups can book together. Group and corporate packages are available.
This Mandela Day, let us do what our industry does best.
Show up. Build something. Make it matter.