JOHANNESBURG – For millions of children (and adults), Easter just isn’t Easter without the chocolate marshmallow Easter eggs that are so closely tied to this holiday in South Africa.
For this reason, once a year the Johannesburg Mini-Council (which is comprised of 80 grade 7 Mini Councillors) collects Easter eggs from the 40-odd schools it represents and donates those eggs to charities all over Gauteng.
Last year, the Mini Council collected close to 250 000 Easter eggs. This year, the Mini Council topped that number, collecting a total of 281 374 Easter eggs, a record high!
The eggs were all sent to Fairways Primary School for sorting and packing. From there the eggs were dispatched to the various charities all over Gauteng, 56 of which receive aid from the Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation (NCCF), which is run by NCCF Director Helen Fraser.
“The NCCF got involved with the Johannesburg Mini Council a number of years ago, because the Mini Councillors have to perform various duties when it comes to community service, and the NCCF is always on the lookout for volunteers for the work we do.
“Over the years the Mini Councillors have assisted the NCCF with our monthly grocery shops, they’ve helped with collecting and distributing blankets, scarves and socks for our winter drives, and are actively involved with the Kid’s Carnival that they, together with the Junior Council, arrange once a year for a number of charities, including at least 200 of the children the NCCF assists,” said Fraser.
Of the 281 374 Easter eggs collected, 12 000 were allocated to the NCCF to be distributed to their charities. Fraser and her tireless team of helpers visited the first eight charities to deliver the Easter eggs. They were met by excited children, plenty of hugs and in the case of Thiba Tlala, a community project that looks after 62 vulnerable orphans and child-headed families. The children sang a ‘Nashua song’ when the team arrived.
The visits also doubled as an opportunity for one of Nashua’s product managers to repair some of the multi-function printers that Nashua has donated to their charities over the years. These machines have become crucial in terms of printing and photocopying learning materials for the charities that are a part of the NCCF.
“With plenty of charities to still visit over the next few weeks leading up to Easter, the NCCF certainly has our work cut out for us this month. However, seeing the difference the simple gift of marshmallow Easter eggs makes in the lives of the children receiving them, it’s well worth the hard work that goes into sorting, packaging and delivering the eggs,” said Fraser.
