Ray of hope for Madiba
An act of kindness from an NPO brought hope and warmth to people in need in Burgershoop on Mandela Day.
The Ray of Hope organisation honoured Nelson Mandela’s legacy by providing clothing, soup, bread and snacks to the homeless in Burgershoop.
The day saw volunteers from the organisation working tirelessly to ensure that the most vulnerable members of society received much-needed support, warmth, and hope. With smiles and kind words, they handed out steaming cups of hearty soup, fresh bread, nutritious snacks, and a variety of clothing items to those in need.
According to the organisation’s chairperson, Ronelle Sinden, they started in 2019 with food parcels after it came to their attention that so many people are less fortunate and not able to afford food and hygienic products to keep living respectably.
“We handed out food parcels to old age homes and families facing hard circumstances due to low or no income. As we went on, we assisted a boy who was born with one arm to get a prosthetic arm because he was very shy about it and bullied,” Ronelle expressed.
She added they keep seeing new faces every day when they are running their soup drive on Fridays, which signifies that the number of people in need is growing.
“In 2021 we realised more people need help so we started to give out soup on the streets once a week or as we get funds to do so. JDQ Industries started to help us and today we gave out 400 plates of food,” Ronelle elaborated.
The NPO relies on donations and help from the public and companies as it does not get any funding from the government. Ronelle shared in closing that they as an organisation, are dedicated to support wherever and whenever the need arises.
“We just want to thank everyone who has supported us so far, especially JDQ Industries, for helping us to keep these projects running,” Ronelle concluded.
