Last year on November 28, the deacon of Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in La Rochelle, Walter Middleton, said all the proceedings from his book sales titled Born to Serve will go towards the upliftment of the poor.
He has done what he promised. Besides giving the less fortunate food, together with St Vincent de Paul La Rochelle, they have given people around the area who normally sleep on the streets blanket sleeping bags.
Middleton said it was always his wish to help them keep warm.
“I wanted to do this during Mandela Day but I couldn’t because of the lockdown; however, I’m pleased that it is finally happening.
“As I said last the year, the sale of my book will be instrumental in helping the poor. The sale of one book can feed a child for the whole month and it buys two of these sleeping bags.
“I would like to thank everyone who purchased the book and especially Sally Pant from the United Kingdom, who didn’t only purchase the book but also donated money towards helping the poor.
“I implore these people to not sell these sleeping bags. They belong to them and they must keep them in good conditions. We will have more of them available as long as people buy my book,” explained Walter.
The book is available at R240. It is also available on Amazon and Takealot.
In the book, there is a full chapter on the World Food Programme. The deacon worked closely with the programme and received three awards. The programme received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.
One of the recipients, Jabulani Zondi, thanked the deacon and promised not to sell the sleeping bag.
“Thank you very much, this belongs to me and I will keep it,” he said.
David Dube, Marcel Houston, Johannes Bezuidenhout and Robert Percival also thanked the deacon for his kind gesture.
For more information, contact Middleton at walter_middleton2002@yahoo.co.in or 082 561 1352.
