Father Christmas arrives early
In spite of the rain, underprivileged children still received their Christmas presents.
Ina MacDonald is the driving force behind Operation Snowdrop who annually spread Christmas cheer among underprivileged children from Geduld.
Saturday was no different when Ina and her team fed about 900 people at the Springs Rugby Club.
She says last year there were enough boerewors rolls left for the people who help her on the day.
“This year, we catered for 900 people and there was nothing left for the rest of the Operation Snowdrop staff,” she says.
But she says it is about more than just distributing food to those in need.
When she started the project 11 years ago, they only looked after about 50 people.
“The need is definitely growing,” she says.
They do any community charity work which she believes is all to make people’s lives somewhat better.
Without the people who assist Ina, the chairman of the project, she would not be able to host this annual event.
Before handing out the gifts, which are packed according to different age groups, children and their parents ate and had various activities to keep them entertained.
Various businesses donated numerous gifts for children of all ages.
In spite of the rain, tables loaded with Christmas gifts were set up on the field according to age groups while the children and their families sat on the pavilion.
“It can turn into chaos if you don’t stick to the rules set up by all the organisers,” says Ina.
Several volunteers manned the tables while the children excitedly awaited the arrival of Father Christmas.
“He arrived seconds before it started to rain, which changed our organising a little,” says Ina.
But at the end she says the important thing is that every child on her list received a Christmas gift.
She plans on changing the programme substantially next year but did not want to reveal any information as yet.
