Bags of Love thankful for generous donations from Dainfern residents
DAINFERN – Head of the Bags of Love charity Susan Harwood said that thousands of community members have been fed and clothed thanks to the donation drives.
Dozens of community members dropped off donations at Dainfern resident and leader of the Bags of Love charity Susan Harwood’s garage on 16 September.
The hustle and bustle of donations, great and small, is not a once-off event but rather a weekly occurrence for this selfless community member.
Harwood began her efforts to assist vulnerable community members well before lockdown through Bags of Love, where she distributed dignity packs to survivors of sexual violence.
When lockdown hit, she notified Dainfern community members of the needs of the less fortunate in communities such as Diepsloot and Thabo Mbeki Informal Settlement and was overwhelmed by the generosity displayed.
“I put a plea out weekly and thank and remind everyone to keep donating. We have fed and clothed thousands of people during lockdown. I expected the donations to decrease now towards the end of the year, but they have only escalated,” said Harwood.
Her garage is no longer used to house vehicles but rather to collect donations for those in need.
Apart from the usual donations on 16 September, Harwood also received 4 000 masks from BMW Fourways (part of CFAO Motors), 1 200 adult diapers from the Witkoppen Clinic, 100 sanitary packs from Roscoe Segers of Wild Lily, 150 meals in bottles from learners at St Stithian’s Boys’ College and donations of McDonald’s burgers from Vani Jolly and her daughter Meher Kaushal for a crèche at Thabo Mbeki Informal Settlement.
Sales manager at BMW Fourways David Naude said, “We wanted to get involved with the community. The masks will be donated to various orphanages, crèches and old age homes in need. This is our social responsibility.”
Segers explained that he wanted to help young women because a number of girls miss school as a result of having no sanitary protection.
“We wanted to provide some dignity and comfort for women in South Africa. This is a small donation, but we hope to work towards doing more in future,” said Segers.
Harwood said that she feels driven to continue this work because there is such a great need.
“We assist people from all walks of life and all races. I am constantly getting calls requesting assistance with food, gift vouchers and more. We give wherever we can. I would like to thank the Dainfern and Fourways community for their generosity. Each donation, however big or small, makes a difference to help somebody. It is so heartening to see the outpouring of generosity each week,” said Harwood.
Locals are invited to visit Harwood’s home in Dainfern on Wednesday mornings between 8.30am and 10.30am to drop off donations of toiletries, sandwiches, good quality clothing for all ages, eco-bricks and more.
Details: Email harwoods@netactive.co.za to find out more.
