A surprise donation of car parts from staff members of a local business is just the boost of kindness Helderberg Community-oriented Project Service (Cops) thrives on. Used to giving rather than receiving, they acknowledged the help as a display of the true spirit of community.
When the trusty Hyundai H1 vehicle broke down the main concern was the transport of workers to various skills development jobs.
The NPO assists the homeless, former drug users and even the disabled with various job opportunities, and the vehicle came to a stop when it blew a gasket.
Fixing the problem was a huge problem for Helderberg Cops, which is self-funded, and finances were too tight.
“I called AutoZone Strand, told them what happened and ordered the parts,” said Jolene Cloete, the organisation’s founder.
“A while later I went to collect, and when I walked into AutoZone the staff were lined up and gave me a huge applause. I was wondering what’s going on, and then they told me I needn’t pay for the gasket, oil or oil filer as they had themselves collected money and paid for it. I was overwhelmed with tears, it was such a beautiful moment of kindness.
Her husband Hendrik elaborated they were ecstatic and extremely appreciative of the gesture.
“As an NPO there are always challenges when it comes to finances, but when we receive community support in the form of resources being put before us it is so motivating and helps us help the community,” he said.
Kevin Birch, General Manager of AutoZone Strand, said his staff felt privileged to help and saw it as an opportunity to assist an NPO that is doing sterling work in the community.
“We try and support the community, and in tough economic times the business cannot provide support so as individuals in our private capacity we decided we would help,” he said.
“All the staff came together and we discussed how we could help, and agreed that each of us would pitch in a little to make the total. We care for each other as a team and I feel honoured to work with such great staff members.”
Helderberg Cops currently has 13 volunteers from diverse backgrounds on its programme and provides working opportunities in the fields of landscaping and maintenance, support roles for neighbourhood watches and a focus on gardening and cleaning services.
“Through our programme we help people with Sassa grants, enable them to become employable, assist with access to social services and registrations on the City’s EPWP programmes,” said Hendrik.
. For any donations or more information on Helderberg Cops, contact Hendrik on 083 645 9549 or send an email to admin@helderbergcops.co.za
