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NPO on a road trip across SA to hand over blankets before winter kicks in
On Tuesday 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day handed over 600 blankets to eight Diepsloot-based organisations
Blankets being handed over in Belfast. The road trip which started in April will go on until mid-June. Picture: Supplied
While politicians are on campaign trails, garning for votes ahead of the General Elections, NPO 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day is on their own trail, but theirs is to deliver blankets to South African communities in need.
“We do all in our power to distribute blankets before the bitterly cold winter months set in every year. We do not wait for Mandela Day on 18 July, 67 Blankets makes every day a Mandela Day,” the organization’s founder Carolyn Steyn told The Citizen.
The drop-off campaign is named: The Peace, Love, Tolerance Road Trip.
“It’s about more than handing over blankets for warmth – it’s about showing that we care and fulfilling what our country needs now more than ever: peace, love, and tolerance. One small act of kindness goes a long way, and when we connect with each other, we knit the fabric of our society.”
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A personal touch
The in-person drop-offs have been happening for a decade now, partnering with ambassadors such as KnitWits for Madiba, and Stuttaford Van Lines.
The road trip kicked off in George in the Western Cape in April and numerous stops are planned until the end of June.
In George they provided blankets to the Môreson Kinder & Jeugsorgsentrum orphanage. The most recent handover was in Diepsloot, Johannesburg on Tuesday morning.
“On Wednesday 10 April, we visited the staff and patients of the Oncology Unit at Flora Clinic in Roodepoort delivering acts of kindness,” averred Steyn.
“We also took hundreds of blankets to the LIV Village in KwaZulu-Natal where we engaged with the management of this incredible organisation who do so much to look after vulnerable orphans from traumatic backgrounds.”
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Who can get a blanket?
South Africa has a ubiquity of communities in need. It could be safely said that the demand for the blankets outweighs the demand. But the organization has found an orderly way of heeding the call for assistance through a Beneficiary Request Form on their website.
Steyn said these requests can be from as little as three blankets for a small home, to hundreds of blankets for a large organization.
“We focus on all communities in need, and are happy to say that to date we have been able to help with all of the requests for blankets that we have received,” shared Steyn.
“Today we handed over 600 blankets to eight Diepsloot-based organizations, as well as to the children in the choir at Reshomile Primary School. We will be engaging with 17 different communities across the country before Mandela Day this year.”
NOW READ: 4,500 blankets to keep KZN flood victims warm this winter
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