Residents support Domino Foundation’s efforts
Residents Liam McIlroy, Slater Capell and Finn Whittle are just three of the volunteers lending their support to the Domino Foundation and Anthem Church.
A DEFINING feature of the novel coronavirus outbreak has been the concept of social distancing, however far from it driving communities apart, it has brought them closer, at least in the charitable sense. This is true for local residents Liam McIlroy, Slater Capell and Finn Whittle, who are just three of the volunteers lending their support to the Domino Foundation and Anthem Church.
The Foundation which is an NPO and the mercy and justice arm of the church has donated more than 12 000 food hampers to more than 46 000 families affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown.
The local residents, who are also students at the IIE’s Varsity College – Durban North said the sense of community from volunteers involved in packing and distributing hampers has been incredible.
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For Capell, the experience of giving back amid a global pandemic has been life-changing.
“I’ve been involved with Anthem Church for 10 years and I know the incredible work the Domino Foundation do. Being involved as a volunteer has really brought home the sense of community, I’ve noticed with some people are self-centred in their approach when what is needed is a community approach, it’s less about me and more about caring for others. Due to the lockdown regulations we haven’t been able to go to any of the distribution points but to know that we’ve played a part in the packaging and distributing of more than 12 000 hampers is amazing,” he said.
His thoughts were echoed by fellow resident, Liam McIlroy.
“I got involved through Slater and Finn and you really get the sense of an operation that is bigger than you. We are here helping out around three days a week and I feel if you are able to, you should try and make an impact by volunteering or donating to a cause,” he said.
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Sean Tait, CEO of Domino Foundation said the support of volunteers, like the trio, have been remarkable.
“We can’t do what we can without them and to have youngsters involved just shows the spirit of ‘ubuntu’. The Domino Foundation has ramped up its scale with regards to assistance and KZN and we support thousands of families in several communities across the province. The biggest thing that helps is the Hope Hamper which is a bucket weighing around 22 kilograms containing non-perishable food and essential items that can feed and support a family of four for a 21 day period. Of course the impact of the coronavirus on the poor and underprivileged will continue beyond level 1 and we will continue our work to support vulnerable families because our heart is to give to those in need,” he said.
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