1 October 2015 | Volume 9 | Week 40 | Tel: 018 294 3924/17 | northwestindependent@telkomsa.net | Potchefstroom | Gratis • Free
Rotary Anns’ food drive needs help M ¢¢ LYNDLE HAAGNER
any pensioners living in South Africa have spent their lives raising their children, sending them to university, and working hard to support their households, but now - in their golden years - cannot afford adequate housing, food or electricity. Sandra Mans, secretary of the Potchefstroom Mooi Rotary Anns initiated an outreach project where the Anns would specifically help the elderly community who are in need, with food donations. “Our project is still in its beginning phase and we would really like to expand it to be able to help even more people,” says Sandra. The whole initiative began when they heard of specific elderly households who were not living with family, in a care facility, or in an old age home. Instead, they were living alone in inadequate conditions and could not survive on their meagre state pension of R1420 that they receive from the government each month. “It originally started with donations of fresh vegetables that we received weekly and we were able to help a few households. Then the donations started increasing and we were blessed to be able to help a few more people in need. This allowed us to start putting together a food hamper containing meat to the value of R800 and non-perishable food items, once a month, that we were able to donate to one household,” explains Sandra. “At this moment, we have 24 households on our list. We are able to help three households a week with fresh vegetables but only one of these households a month, with a meat and grocery hamper. The more donations we receive, the more households we can help,” she explains. “It is a heart-warming experience to see the immense gratitude these folk have, even for the tiniest donation. Some are so honest that they will even tell us that if we know of someone who is in more need than they are, that we should rather donate the food to them. They don’t just take,” she says.
The Potchefstroom Mooi Rotary Anns are able to help three households weekly with fresh vegetables and one household monthly with a hamper of meat, vegetables and non-perishable food items.
Originally, this outreach project was funded by the Anns’ own pockets. “We decided to take the money which we would have used to spoil ourselves, and decided that it should go to a better cause. Instead we donated it towards these food hampers. We later realised that we need to do more. The Potch Mooi Rotary Anns had some additional funds that they were able to contribute towards this project. We now have a small monthly budget for this cause,” she explains. The Anns would like to ask everyone in the Potchefstroom community who is in a position to help, for donations of non-perishable food items. Cash donations and fresh produce are also welcome and Sandra or Alicia Fourie, who is also assigned to this project, will make the necessary arrangements for delivery. “At the end of the year there is an official Rotary Anns’ report indicating what was donated to each project. This will be readily available to anyone who would like to ensure that their donation went to the right cause,” guarantees Sandra. If you are willing to contribute, contact Sandra at mansijp@telkomsa. net 082 374 2223 or Alicia Fourie 076 172 1325.
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Besonderse foto’s van voete soos dié van ‘n kind in ‘n vlugtelingkamp in die Kongo sal volgende week van Dinsdag af in die Snowflake-gebou uitgestal word as deel van die Sit Jou Voet Neer-veldtog teen kindermolestering. Kara van der Merwe (14) van Potchefstroom het die Sit Jou Voet Neer-veldtog begin nadat sy ‘n rol gespeel het van ‘n jong slagoffer van kindermolestering in die fliek Dis ek, Anna. Daar sal foto’s van talle bekendes se voete te koop wees by die uitstalling - soos dié van die atleet Caster Semenya in die INLAS - en die geld sal aan welsynsorganisasies soos Childline geskenk word. Dinsdagaand om 18:00 is die amptelike opening van die uitstalling en by dié geleentheid sal die Noordwes Kinderkoor ‘n lied uitvoer wat spesiaal vir Sit Jou Voet Neer geskryf is. Die openingsgeleentheid is gratis en almal is welkom.