This winter the Green Point and Oranje-Kloof City Improvement Districts (GP/OKCID) launched a fundraising initiative to provide support to those who need it most.
The idea behind the three-month campaign was to motivate people to support their communities in a responsible way; rather than giving hand-outs or turning a blind eye. This was made possible by partnering with SnapScan, where local residents and business owners could make small donations in a safe and secure way via the app.
The initial R1 000 raised was donated to the Bread 4 Life on Kloof Street. This soup kitchen was founded in 2005 and today feeds over 400 people who have fallen on hard times every week.Β Ome Demetriou, volunteer at Bread 4 Life, expressed his support for #CIDSoupDrive, thanking the GP/OKCID for their βvaluable service in our communitiesβ.
A further R2 000 was raised in the second phase of the campaign, which was used to buy school shoes for children at Salesians Institute in Green Point. This incredible organisation is working to change the lives of vulnerable children and youth at risk through education, social support, life skills, and vocational training.
Says Madeleine Thornhill, Principal at Salesians, βLearn to Live School of Skills work with the most vulnerable youth in our society. It is so wonderful to find a company like GP/OKCID that does not only see the need of these young people but that are willing to do whatever it takes to make a positive difference in their lives. By donating school shoes they are providing a very basic need, but more than that, they are giving the children a sense of acceptance and dignity that is unmeasurable. From the bottom of my heart, I say thank youβ
Commenting on the campaign, GP/OKCID Chief Executive Marc Truss says, βWeβd like to extend a big thank you to everyone that supported the campaign β handing over the funds raised was a humbling and very special experience, and the photos speak for themselves in terms of the gratitude expressed by Bread 4 Life and Salesians.β
