Community opens their hearts to Epilepsy Center’s need

The Epilepsy SA Free State/Northwest Center is going through a rough patch and is in dire need of food and other donations to keep the center doors open and provide for the 68 residents staying at the center.

Since the call for help was sent out last week, the community opened their hearts to the center’s residents with overwhelming acts of kindness from various individuals, organisations and businesses.

On Monday Sinqobile Equestrian Security Services’ CEO, Mr Ndwandwe, together with the company’s managing director Mrs Ndwandwe, Mr Johan de Klerk who also represented Devondale Geusthouse and Spa, and Tulani Makhubu, manager of the company’s training center, paid a visit to the Epilepsy center where they donated a much needed and welcome donation of vegetables and other groceries to the value of R8 000 to help provide for meals for the center’s residents.

Although it was their first visit to Parys, this is only the start of an ongoing relationship with the center, Mr Ndwandwe said.
The company during their visit offered a 3 months sponsored training opportunity for five local residents to be trained as security officials at the company’s training center in Boksburg. This is a way of not only helping the community, but also empowering a community with skills development. The Ngwathe Municipality through the office of the Executive Mayor, will assist in identifying the five candidates. Noma Moloi, tasked with Safety and Security on the Mayoral Committee will be responsible for the listing of the candidates.

What is needed at the center?
* Fuel for their generator and vehicles
* Tyres for the vehicles
* Water pipes to repair what is broken
* Cleaning liquids
* Any food donations
*Toiletries and warm clothes for the center’s residents
* Seed for the vegetable garden
If you can not help with donations, you can also help by offering your skills – whether it be plumbling, electrical etc. Any help is welcome. These residents need the kindness of our community.
The center once had a flourishing vegetable garden, but not much is left of it. Maybe you enjoy gardening and can help with an hour or two of your time and expertise. If we can get the veggie garden up and running like before, the center’s kitchen will at least have fresh fruit and veggies to help prepare the meals for the residents.

Bous Piek and David Waki in the center’s veggie garden. 

A special word of thanks to the local Free State Care in Action branch who had set the example of one NPO reaching out to another when they immediately responded last week to the call for help by donating some of the veggies and fruit they could spare to help the center.