Reaching out to the needy on Mandela Day
Individuals, companies and organisations held a variety of charity activities to mark Mandela Day on July 18.
Doing their bit on Mandela Day, the Reiger Park police partnered with Sinethemba Home-Based Care to organise lunch for dozens of hungry elderly people in Delmore informal settlement.
During the event, talented members of the Sinethemba Choir entertained the senior citizens. Police officers also helped to clean up streets and several illegal dumping sites in the area.
Meanwhile, the Boksburg police and members of the Victim Empowerment Centre donated small change to organise breakfast for the needy. They spent more than an hour feeding starving people, some homeless, in the CBD.
Heading the President’s call to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to community service across the country, the Reiger Park ANC Youth League reached out to hundreds of hungry people, including children of Reiger Park.
Stationed at the Reiger Park Shopping Centre, members of the organisation provided breakfast, lunch and supper for the needy residents.
The homeless and beggars in Boksburg North have also benefited from the Mandela Day activities.
The dozens of squatters living in camping tents along Main Reef Road, received gifts from several generous people who arrived at the tent camp and donated food and clothing. Even the famous wheelchair-bound man, who begs for money at the traffic light, corner Cason and Trichardts roads, received a wheelchair from members of the Cinderella-based bikers’ club called ‘Wisdom Warriors’.
This is after the physically-challenged Martin Greyling (51) told the Advertiser that thieves recently left him unable to get around after they stole his old wheelchair.
Checkers, in conjunction with one of its suppliers, Goosebumps, visited the Reiger Park Crisis Centre and provided service, resources and goods to assist the needy organisations.
They renovated and repaired the building, replaced the kitchen stove, kitchen cupboards, putting up a new ceiling, provided baking equipment, provided staff with bakery training, planted vegetables, donated food and other items. Goosebumps employees also baked a seven-metre long cake and donated it to the centre.
Colgate employees split into three groups and visited different areas in Boksburg.
One group went to Goedehoop Primary and spent hours painting and cleaning the school. The second group visited Ramaphosa and provided dental care and distributed free Colgate oral care products to members of the community.
Meanwhile, the third group headed the President’s call to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to community service at New Beginnings Centre.
A group of young people employed through the Lungile Mtshali Community Development Project, helped clean up several streets in Reiger Park, on Mandela Day. This was organised by Re-imagine Reiger Park coordinator Brandon Isaacs.
Mandela Day is a call to action for people everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place, just as Nelson Mandela did.
Nelson Mandela spent more than 67 years serving his community, his country, and the world at large.
– @FanieBoksburg
