Seven hundred residents received food, clothing, social support and spiritual encouragement during the Clothed in Love outreach hosted by the Alberton SAPS Spiritual Crime Prevention team on July 16.

Held at Serving Faith Church in Rondebult, the initiative brought together Alberton Lions Club, Life on the Streets (LOTS), Fish and Bread Ministries, The Gideons International, SCP, CPF, the SAPS Youth Desk, Amcare, Gauteng Traffic Police and the Salvation Foundation.

Speaking on behalf of Alberton SAPS, Spiritual Crime Prevention Sergeant Phumza Petse said the aim of the event was to strengthen relationships between SAPS and the community while supporting vulnerable residents.

According to Roelf Strydom of Gideons Brackenhurst, LOTS, Spiritual Crime Prevention, Alberton SAPS initiated the outreach as part of its community engagement efforts and invited various stakeholders and NPOs to get involved.

@albertonrecord

According to Roelf Strydom of Gideons Brackenhurst, LOTS, Spiritual Crime Prevention, Alberton SAPS initiated the outreach as part of its community engagement efforts and invited various stakeholders and NPOs to get involved. “Alberton SAPS wanted to build a relationship with the community through community engagement and asked different stakeholders and NPOs to support the initiative,” said Strydom. Full story on albertonrecord.co.za

♬ original sound – Alberton Record

“Alberton SAPS wanted to build a relationship with the community through community engagement and asked different stakeholders and NPOs to support the initiative,” said Strydom.

The outreach was supported by more than 100 volunteers who participated in the initiative, serving 500 hot dogs and oranges and distributing 10 000 clothing items to residents.

@albertonrecord

The outreach was supported by more than 100 volunteers who participated in the initiative, serving 500 hot dogs and oranges and distributing 10 000 clothing items to residents. Full story on albertonrecord.co.za

♬ original sound – Alberton Record

Strydom said the day was about more than meeting physical needs.

“We’re here today in Phumula to share God’s love with the people. We want to show our love practically by giving them food and clothes, but also by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

In addition to food and clothing, residents had access to social services, while Bibles were distributed and volunteers shared messages of hope and faith with attendees.

Strydom said the outreach formed part of an ongoing investment in the community.

Two days before the event, organisers also hosted a soccer day as another way of engaging with residents.

“We believe that God will give us the fruit of our labours,” he said.

He thanked the organisations, volunteers and Alberton SAPS for working together to make the outreach possible.

“The community, together with the Gideons, Lions, Tutela, Amcare, the Police Traffic Department and many other partners, all joined together here to serve the community through clothing, food, social services, as well as the Bible and the gospel,” he said.

Strydom said the organisers plan to make Clothed in Love an annual initiative, continuing to unite SAPS, community organisations and volunteers in serving vulnerable communities while strengthening relationships between residents and law enforcement.