{"id":54894,"date":"2022-01-25T16:21:38","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T14:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/school-bag-donation-drive-to-lend-a-hand-to-communities-20220117\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T18:42:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T16:42:01","slug":"school-bag-donation-drive-to-lend-a-hand-to-communities-20220117","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/school-bag-donation-drive-to-lend-a-hand-to-communities-20220117\/","title":{"rendered":"School bag donation drive to lend a hand to communities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A school bag donation drive, called \u201cI\u2019ve got your bag!\u201d aims to get school bags to less privileged children in South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative, driven by Hands of Love, is asking parents to donate their kids\u2019 old school bags at drop- off points in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hands of Love was recently founded by Catherine Versfeld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former Plumstead resident, who now lives in Johannesburg, says she always had a heart for people and wanting to help where she can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn 2019, my friend Tanya (who is a hand therapist, hence the inspiration for the name, and more) got me to go with her to volunteer on Mandela Day at an organisation in Johannesburg that feeds homeless people. We ended up loving it so much and ended up going regularly. I am still involved with that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, she says, after a tough 2021, she felt she needed to do more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to wait for others to do things before I stepped up. So I started Hands of Love as a vehicle to do this, and a tribute to the inspiration and push that I got,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation, which was founded in November last year, is currently in the process of applying for non-profit organisation status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNever in my wildest dreams did I think it would grow so fast. We are in the process of registering. Unfortunately, everyone has only started coming back to work now. So things are being processed,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cI\u2019ve got your bag!\u201d is the very first campaign being driven under Hands of Love\u2019s banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Versfeld, the majority of kids in under-resourced communities are walking kilometers everyday just to get to school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have bags to carry their books in and are using plastic bags.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says she first became aware of these children\u2019s plight while having dinner with a friend, and sharing my vision for Hands of Love with her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe had worked with kids in under-resourced areas. She mentioned that she worked with kids who were having to do this. I immediately felt so emotional and knew that I needed to do something about it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you have kids, or know kids that have school bags they are no longer using or don\u2019t need anymore, we need them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hands of Love team currently consists of six members, three in Johannesburg (including Versfeld), and three in Cape Town. The members in Cape Town include Angelo Adams, a teacher at Curro; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zaakirah Rossier-Philander, who is handling the organisation\u2019s PR; and Jonathan Degueldre, who is a film producer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have teamed up with Digicape who have just been so incredible,\u201d adds Versfeld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are five drop-off points for previously loved bags in Cape Town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n