Scores of homeless people benefit from the blankets and food initiative
NORWOOD – More than 50 homeless people had already benefited from the blanket initiative.
A local outreach initiative to help displaced people get warm this winter is gradually gaining momentum as more beneficiaries are expected to receive blankets.
The ‘Good Hope Feed in the Hood Feed’ initiative, started by Raquel Coetzee and Paul Hofmeyr, already benefited more than 50 homeless people in Norwood, Alexandra, Orange Groove and Buccleuch.
When the cold snap hit Gauteng recently, Coetzee, Hofmeyr and a group of friends came together and requested donations of blankets, beanies, food and money from their community groups, family and friends.
The group was more concerned about homeless people especially after the rioting in Alexandra. They subsequently sought spots in different areas as they realised that some people needed more help than others.
Following an overwhelming response from the community, they started delivering blankets to different spots on July 13.
Hofmeyr’s friend, who owns a recruitment company, promised to help some of the displaced people with their CVs.
According to Hofmeyr, the initiative will continue as more people are donating blankets and food. The Knit-a-Square non-profit organisation donated blankets and beanies and scarves again.
“This is not just a brief outreach just because of the rioting. This will be an ongoing initiative,” said Hofmeyr.
While trying to grow the Facebook page and get more people involved, Hofmeyr said it was humbling to inspire other people not to give up and keep their faith in humanity.
