IT’S the time of the year to spread festive cheer.
Businesswoman Mandy Tinkler saw an opportunity in the pile of fabric that her business would no longer need.
“I reached out to an organisation and we have now re-purposed the fabric to make teddy bears for our Care Bears project,” said Tinkler.
The plush teddy bears are sold through Tinkler’s boutique and a portion of the proceeds goes towards the Stop The Period Poverty campaign.
Studies have shown that poor, vulnerable and marginalised women and girls cannot afford essential hygiene products, resulting in about 30% of young female learners missing up to 90 days of schooling a year when they have their menstrual periods.
“This spurred me on to partner with this great initiative. But the fabric I donated also served another purpose. I was in the textile industry for over 25 years and it broke my heart to see it disappearing. We are now faced with a threat of the skills of the seamstresses and others in the industry being completely lost, as these cannot be passed on. Through the manufacturing of the teddy bears we are able to keep it alive, and help families,” said Tinkler.
The seed to help others was planted by her daughter, who is now a medical doctor doing her internship at the Khayelitsha Day Hospital.
“Growing up, she would spot opportunities to give to those less fortunate. And now I am constantly looking for such opportunities. I urge people to support the campaigns and buy the bears, either for themselves or as a gift,” she said, adding that the bears are available at the Habits store or via their website.
A group of friends who also find ways of extending help to others got together to provide food-relief for those less fortunate
The Passion Gap, a non-profit organisation (NPO) which started about three months ago, has launched a campaign to provide food to households who cannot afford a meal.
With the unemployment rate hitting a record 46% and the soaring cost of food and fuel, the impact on the poor has been huge.
“We are passionate about filling the gap for those in need. So we want to feed the hungry during this period and we are on a drive to collect 50 buckets with essential food items to help families on the Cape Flats,” said social-media influencer, Devon Saunders, a member of the group.
Saunders believes businesses, individuals and corporates could also join the drive and change the lives of people in need.
“So many people will be worried about where they will get their next meal from. And we are fortunate, we still have the opportunity to change the world we live in through acts of kindness. We will bring hope to people in Vygieskraal, Athlone, Langa and Bonteheuwel,” said Saunders, who is no stranger to alleviating the plight of the poor.
Three years ago, he slept on the rooftop of a building in the middle of winter to raise awareness for the plight of the homeless.
Other members of the organisation, Gabriela Werner, Bianca Boshoff and Pierre Antonels share the passion of up-skilling the disadvantaged.
“We want to distribute the buckets of food this week and we urge people to make contributions towards this drive by getting in touch with the organisation through its website: www.passiongapsa.org.za, Saunders said.
For the Ark City of Refuge a special Christmas meal will be provided for those staying in the shelter during the period, as well as members of the surrounding community in Mfuleni and Eerste River.
“Every year we try our best to hand out Christmas gifts to 120 people on Christmas morning. We manage this through the generosity of our various sponsors, as well as the Bikers’ Toy Run. This year we have also been blessed with gifts to give to the elderly,” said spokesperson Lisa Bez.
Most NGOs have also been hit hard by the pandemic, as sponsors and donors have scaled down on their financial support due to the economic crisis.
“It has been a challenge to continue feeding all 1 000 of our residents three meals a day, but by the grace of God and our faithful donors we have managed.
“People need a sense of family and belonging at this time of the year, as the festive season can be very lonely for those who do not have a family or anywhere to go to,” said Bez.
Ladles of Love will also spread Christmas cheer, ramping up its food-relief support and providing lunch to 5 000 homeless people until mid-January through its partnership with Hope Exchange.
Founder Danny Diliberto said: “From supporting four soup kitchens pre-Covid, we now support as many 200 around the Peninsula. We have ensured that operations will not stop, so we distributed double the quantities of food that we normally give to the soup kitchens.
“We also run a fill-a-pot campaign, asking people to sponsor a pot towards our 10 000 pots to provide a million meals. Covid has taught me that there’s a need to help on a regular basis,” said Diliberto.
Everyone helping those less fortunate agree on one thing: the number of people in extreme poverty has increased. And it’s through the generosity of the more fortunate that the divide between the rich and poor can be lessened.