Daya brushes the cold with ’67 Blankets’ for the needy

Lynton Lefervre has organised a heartwarming event to mark the handover of Let’s Knit and Crochet blankets. The occasion celebrated the addition of a new group of talented ladies to the 67 Blankets initiative, affectionately known as the KnitWits.

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The function was hosted at Farhills Ageless Living Estate, Beverley on May 25. The Lets, Knit and Crochet group was led by newly appointed 67 Blankets ambassador Sangeeta Daya from Standerton.

Daya called this group of dedicated ladies to action with one mission in mind: to make blankets, scarves, and beanies for 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day ahead of Mandela Day on July 18.

Daya said she decided to join the organisation after she saw a beautiful display of blankets all over Fourways Mall while she was shopping with her husband.

“My husband decided to challenge his mother to make a blanket for 2023. In that year I tried to get hold of the ambassadors once the blanket was done to hand the blanket over. I managed to get in touch with one and she told me if I have a lot of people that love to crochet and knit, then I should start a group and get ladies to get involved. That is when I decided that I want to do it and get the Standerton community involved.”

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Daya said the group grew in leaps and bounds and it is a fulfilling feeling to know that they are making blankets from start to finish and all in the name of giving to the needy.

“I told the ladies that my goal this year is to hand over 10 blankets, because it was so embarrassing to hand over only one blanket when we can do so much more. They were very excited for the challenge and within time the number of blankets increased. With a little bit of healthy competition, I showed them what 67 Blankets is about after I researched the organisation.”

She said travelling to Fourways to hand over the blankets, the ladies were over-excited because 67 Blankets is a reputable organisation.

“Most of the ladies have experienced making blankets and giving them to anybody and sometimes it does not work out like that because often you see your blankets lying around or they fall into wrong hands. We had a few experiences from some of the ladies in the group who gave their blankets to charity but only for them to be sold. So, it was not working for them because they were doing it for a good cause.”

She admits that there are still ladies in the group who feel that they should be giving the blankets to the needy in Standerton. However, Daya says background checks are essential when handing over their creations made with love.

“We need to first see who needs them and desperately, so we cannot just hand over to anyone in the streets. Half of the ladies are confident that the blankets are handed over to 67 Blankets because they will find beneficiaries for them after doing their research about who really needs them.”

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