Thanks to a supportive community, the Lockdown Shelter Nelspruit is making a difference in the lives of those in need. Through this shelter, the Mpumalanga Leadership Foundation (MLF) and Nelspruit Community Forum (NCF) provide for the basic needs of the homeless in Mbombela during the 21-day lockdown.
Pastor TJ Maré, managing director of the MLF and organiser of the shelter initiative, is hard at work using the donations provided by the community. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I want the community to know how much we appreciate every bit of help, every prayer, and all their support. We still have 14 days left, but together with the community of Mbombela we can only be successful. God bless every single one of you.”
They have recently started increasing their efforts by also providing aid to those households left wanting during the lockdown. “When we started we realised that families will start to struggle in this time. Some might even have the shock of no salary. So this week we started with some food parcels.”
But the movement doesn’t stop there. According to the pastor, many of the people they help are addicted to something, but they have cooperated very well. “I’m pretty sure we did not sign up as a rehab centre, but with the wonderful aid of the South African National Council on Alcoholism (SANCA), we began ‘making lemonade with the lemons we received’ and we see the results.”
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Even though the community has been a tremendous help, the need is still great – the number of people they care for increases daily. If you are in any way able to provide a donation, below is a list of goods and services that would be welcomed, as well as banking details for monetary donations. The shelter is located at 36 Branders Street.
Food:
Bread, peanut butter, maize meal, oats, salt, cooking oil, self-raising flour, pilchards, baked beans, corned beef, tea, sugar, creamer, macaroni, soup (powder), soya mince.
(There are containers outside the shelter, to minimise contact between people.)
Hygiene:
Toilet paper, toothpaste, soap.
Containers:
- Plastic or polystyrene bowls for soup etc – for hygienic reasons these are disposed of after each use.
- Polystyrene cups
- Plastic storage containers (with a lid) – to store food in the refrigerator.
Services: Are you maybe…
A plumber? We need our shower drains unblocked.
A refrigeration technician? Our walk-in freezer does not drain – we are building a stalagmite
An example of a day’s menu
| BREAKFAST | LUNCH | SUPPER |
| Lekker pap | Thick vegetable soup | Curry & rice |
| Bread | Bread | Bread |
| Fruit | Fruit | Juice |
WhatsApp group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BwjUSPYskqkIK6FBx8ynlj
Facebook:
Banking details:
ABSA Bank 406-129-0450
Name: Mpumalanga Leadership Foundation
Reference: Name and surname.
A special thank you to HALLS for the fresh oranges and avocados, and Blue Ribbon for the 50 loaves of bread each day.
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