MES is super excited about upcoming 2017 projects

MES Kempton Park is excited about the year ahead and the opportunity to continuously change the heart of the inner city.

The homeless shelter continuously wants to look at ways to make a sustainable impact in the city, using the resources available to them.

As a result, in 2017 they will be embarking on a few community projects, as well as an exciting show they will bring to life next month.

First off they hope to start with the implementation of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre, which will be combined with parenting classes, to be offered to people from the food parcel project and after-school programme.

They also hope to see the GROW programme expand from three to four teams, with the gardening services and recycling project helping to accommodate the extra hands.

“I am extremely excited to embark on our organisation’s journey in 2017, together with our partners helping us to change the heart of the city,” says Duane Edwards, branch manager at MES Kempton Park.

“In 1 John 4:8 it is written that, ‘God is Love’. God has been compared to a lot of different things, but here it is said that God is Love. God calls us, his children, to love one another. In 2017, I sincerely hope that MES Kempton Park will be the light on a hill, a shining beacon of God’s mercy and the symbol of love for his people in the inner city of Kempton Park.”

Edwards continues: “Our branch is proud to announce that our recycling project is now fully operational. We have moved at the end of last year to new premises in Pomona, from where all sorting will take place in future. The GROW team has received training from Wasteplan and an energetic team is now sorting on a daily basis.”

The public is encouraged to donate all recyclable items to the MES recycling container at NG Kempton-Kruin, 30 Fiskaal Street, Glen Marais. From there GROW teams will collect the materials and transport them to Pomona.

Community members can donate the following recycling items: plastic, paper, corrugated cardboard, cans and bottles.

People are requested to please separate recyclable from non-recyclable material, rinse food and liquor containers to prevent the generation of odours and flatten containers to take up as little space as possible.

Although MES offers a number of projects from which the community can benefit, they do face a number of challenges.

The most challenging aspect for the branch at the moment is the need to expand their facilities. This would enable them to cater for more homeless people in the shelter and assist in accommodating more programmes on their premises, such as the ECD centre.

“Each programme within our branch experiences its own unique challenges, but we are also thankful to the service we can provide to the inner city. In the overnight shelter, we currently can accommodate 42 people and sometimes have to turn people away. In the community kitchen we serve a nutritious meal to more than 60 people and appreciate any donations of meat or vegetables,” says Edwards.

MES appreciates any form of donation and a detailed needs list per programme can be obtained from their office. Their current mobile container on the premises caters for the after-school programme and is also an office to the social auxiliary worker. However, due to wear and tear, it needs to be urgently replaced or upgraded. Any assistance in this regard will be appreciated.

As part of formal fund-raising for the year, the branch plans to host a show at Barnyard Emperors Palace on February 16. It is called “Hollywood Walk of Fame” and will present the greatest music from the greatest movies.

Tickets cost R160 per person. For more information contact Aloma Swanepoel on 082-652-3398 or email aloma@mes.org.za. Alternatively, contact Edwards on 082-348-8639 or email duane@mes.org.za