Giving Hands organisation donates over a thousand food parcels in Ermelo

The Giving Hands organisation have raised about R140 000 and since 8 April, have donated over a thousand food parcels to residents in Ermelo.

It all began as a community initiative that was brought up during a Mosque-meeting.

Mr Junaid Jassat, a volunteer, said: “The Welfare organisation that the Muslim community works under is called Ermelo Muslim Welfare.

“When we decided to work with the greater community we decided to form The Giving Hands-organisation to incorporate the greater community and work with all business and religious organisations in Ermelo.

“As residents of Ermelo, we have embarked on an initiative to identify people in our community who may be in need of basic subsistence to provide for their families.”

They placed a simple message on Facebook that read as follows:

“In conjunction with the Ermelo Muslim Community, if you or someone you know is in financial difficulty due to the lockdown and is running out of food, please don’t go to sleep on an empty stomach.

“With the Grace of the Almighty, we will try and assist.

“Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to send us a private Whatsapp-message.

“We will be more than happy to share whatever we have.

“If you want , we can drop and go and pretend it never happened!

“If we can’t reach you, we will make a plan to help.”

According to Mr Jassat, their phones were ringing non-stop.

The first step they took was to put together a hamper that included staple items like, mielie meal, baked beans, soup, soya mince, milk, salt and soap.

Thereafter, they arranged with local supermarkets to supply the hampers and arranged with the recipients for collection.

Mr Jassat said: “Within 72 hours, R140 ooo worth of groceries were given out.

“This is the tip of the iceberg.”

There are many families who have been affected by the lockdown and have no means to provide for themselves due to being forced to remain at home in Ermelo.

Due to limited funds, Giving Hand could unfortunately not assist any more people.

The municipality has, however, approached the group and decided to work with them.

Mr Jassat said: “Standing together, we can reach each and every person in need and uplift our entire community.

“We need to work together, using this one central relief fund in order to reach the maximum number of people and avoid repetitions, fraud and wastage.”

If community members are interested in contributing to this initiative, contact The Giving Hands organisation at 083 720 4608, on their website or on their Facebook page