Operation Anti Freeze hampers bring hope to many underprivileged
Enough donations were received to help more people than anticipated
Operation Anti Freeze had an overwhelming response to its annual Christmas hamper drive.
“We started collecting non-perishable foods in August and our aim was to fill enough hampers to give to all of the over 500 school children we assist,” said Hilary Carhart, project coordinator and fundraiser.
“We run school projects where we support 11 schools and two crèches by providing 500 food parcels monthly to groups of children within these schools who have been identified by teachers as coming from very poor households. We also supply spreads such as peanut butter, jams and mayonnaise, as well as fruit and vegetables when possible, to the schools to help them provide lunch for these children,” said Carhart.
For some of the children the meal they get at school is the only meal they will have for the day. Many of these children do not eat from the Friday when they leave school until the Monday when they return to school. So school holidays are a tough time for them as they are not getting their lunch from their school.
“We had a amazing response. When Clicks held its Christmas roadshow they asked their staff to bring non-perishable foods to donate to us and their staff were very generous. We also received donations from East Rand Nomads, All round Glass, Pilot Crushtec and CFR Freight, as well as from many individuals.
“We were able to provide hampers to all the school children we assist, as well as giving to 80 children in Kingsway informal settlement and 20 hampers to elderly people living in an informal settlement in Bredell.”
The hampers were handed out just before the schools closed to ensure the children had something to eat during the school holidays.
“We want to say a big thank you to all the companies and individuals that contributed. we are truly grateful for your support, thank you for helping us to fight hunger and feed hope.”
