HUNDREDS of homeless people from around the South and Alberton were grateful to receive 845 blankets during MIT Auto Parts’ 2016 blanket drive.
Shellan Boodhoo and his colleagues started raising funds to buy proper quality blankets for the homeless since the winter of 2012 and have continued this charity work and keep climbing the ladder.
This year the team is proud to have raised R54 925 to purchase warm blankets. The team distributed 250 blankets in 2012, 430 in 2013, 590 in 2014 and 604 in 2015.
Speaking to the South papers, sales manager Shellan said, “In 2013 a friend named Claude Marie added towards our blanket drive by contributing cups of soup and loaves of bread to donate to the homeless. Since then our blanket drive has been transformed into a blanket and meal drive every winter.
“We do the distribution ourselves. We normally load a bakkie with 100 blankets and the soup and bread a night and then go to places where we can find the homeless. Normally some of them are asleep as we do this between 19:00 and 22:00. We find a lot of people sleeping in the streets of the Johannesburg CBD, Fordsburg, Alberton, Rosettenville and surrounding areas in the South.”
Shellan thanked the staff from MIT Auto Parts, Bumper 2 bumper in Denver, and AC Auto Spares in Palm Ridge and some individuals who have always supported the drive over the years.
“I want to create an awareness that this is happening in the South of Johannesburg and would like others to either start their own blanket drives or join us in this,” he added.
For free daily local news in the south, visit our sister newspapers Alberton Record, Comaro Chronicle, Southern Courier and Get it Joburg South Magazine.
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also email our offices on cvdwalt@caxton.co.za, juliem@caxton.co.za or luckyt@caxton.co.za
