A non-profit organisation, Grace Outreach partnered with Koos Sadie Primary school in Goodwood and held a Winter Blanket Drive for the homeless along Voortrekker Road, as well as an orphanage in Bishop Lavis and a crèche in Kalksteenfontein.
Grace Outreach relies solely on donations or sponsorship for the work they carry out in various impoverished communities. “We started our work in 2018 and already have a list of successful projects that we have completed,” said the organisation’s chair and founder, Telicia Erasmus.
The organisation has regular soup kitchens and feeding schemes, makes food parcels where there is a need and winter blanket and clothing drives. They also assist other organisations.
“In the hope to enlarge the vision of our yearly winter blanket drive that started in 2018 we approached Koos Sadie Primary school situated in Goodwood to partner with us and they gladly agreed to ensure the vision was a remarkable success,” says Erasmus
The prefects of Koos Sadie took on the responsibility of running the drive under the supervision of Karen James, a teacher at the school. Both the school and Grace Outreach collected the blankets for a combined successful outcome.
The Blankets were handed out on Saturday 11 June. “We were able to cover a section of Voortrekker Road in Goodwood and Vasco and had two beneficiaries namely Youth at Risk orphanage in Bishop Lavis and Ferndale crèche in Kalksteenfontein,” Erasmus said.
Erasmus said homeless people living on the street are a concern in the community for safety reasons as many are on drugs and engage in street-work to survive, but they are people who need the public. “It cannot be an easy decision to move out into the streets and we do not know the reasons why they are there,” she said, adding that she has heard many heartbreaking stories.
Nearly 200 blankets were collected in the blanket drive.
Blankets were still coming in from parents of prefects on Saturday morning, the day of the drive. Teachers donated as well as parents and learners giving 151 blankets.
“We also received a donation of 30 blankets from the Upstream Group, they delivered on Friday 10 June.”
In addition, the school used the money raised in a R5 Caring Civvies Day to buy 17 blankets.
According to James, being part of this project with Grace Outreach is the start of a partnership. “We would like to do the blanket drive annually. Our prefects, as leaders, need to show they care. They were also in charge of making posters, going to the classes to promote this blanket drive, and finally handing out the blankets to the needy.”
Erasmus said Grace Outreach has reached out to government on numerous occasions for assistance, but they always have bigger projects that they are funding. Grace Outreach has not allowed this to discourage them, they have always pushed through.
“Community outreach work is challenging with the general lack of support, but you need to persevere and approach as many as you can to come alongside you.”
