5 days ago
Outreach effort supports senior citizens
The elderly residents of the Van Riebeeck, Jack Cotton and President flats, as well as Pioneer Home, were blessed with food parcels and blankets by a local organisation and church.
• Also read: Together they bloom
Together We Bloom and Ruimsig Gemeente church donated over 150 blankets as part of their outreach programme to assist the needy and less privileged of this community.
According to the organiser and project director, Stefan Zeelie, this initiative is among many outreach programmes organised by Together We Bloom to make a difference in the community.
This initiative by Horticulture South Africa aims to assist less privileged people by supporting feeding schemes, education, and healthcare initiatives, raising funds from the national and international business community,' he said.
According to councillor Mark Trump, the residents are mainly former municipal workers who are SASSA recipients.
'We assisted 132 elderly people, living and managing to just survive on a SASSA pension of R2 230 a month, which needs to cover rent, water and electricity, food, medicine, and necessities such as toiletries and cleaning supplies.
'All residents of these municipal flats were blessed with a winter blanket and a hearty meal pack from Together We Bloom. With the rising costs of living, basic food staples, and inflation of electricity and water tariffs, many elderly persons on SASSA pensions are forced to ration down to just one meal a day, which is very limited, sometimes just a slice of bread and some soy mince. Just a simple cup of coffee is a luxury,' Mark said.
Stefan thanked the organisation and the church for assisting their community.
'As a community, everything negative or positive affects the health of our society, which then indirectly affects every one of us.
We need to continue working together to foster a culture of compassion, empathy, cooperation and mutual respect,' he said.
Anyone who would like to get involved should visit for more information.
'A community thrives by working together through creating a good culture of social cohesion.'
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