Kemptonians make Christmas special for the homeless

A number of Kemptonians came together at Cavendish Glen Shopping Centre on Saturday for a special fund-raising event for the homeless.

The fun day is the culmination of the festive season challenge hosted by MES and Intercare to collect goods for the homeless.This initiative challenged community members of Kempton Park to collect the following items for the homeless in the spirit of Christmas: toiletries, cleaning materials, non-perishable food items and sweet treats.

The items were brought and dropped-off at Intercare Glen Marais. Their annual Packaged Love drive for the homeless, held on Saturday, saw guests, who participated in the competition, win great prizes and enjoy services from volunteers. There was also live music at the event.

The participants were treated to free physical, dental and vision care.

There were loads of activities and entertainment for both children and parents to enjoy. These included face painting, performance by a clown, exhibitions by various owners within the mall and line dance by a group of residents from the Allen Park Retirement Village.

The programme, which included a cupcake competition, allowed the children to get their creative juices flowing. Adults helped out, but, for the most part, they let the children do all the planning and baking.

“We ended up with so many creative cupcake ideas from these kids. They took their job seriously and while waiting for the results, they looked anxious, which left some for the judges eating plenty of the cupcakes at the end,” said Ada Botes from Intercare Cavendish Glen and main organiser of the event.