Give your bread tags towards a wheelchair

Sanet van As is not just a local paint artist and beautician, she is also part of the Bread Tags for Wheelchairs campaign.

Her Nimrod Park home is a drop-off point where residents can donate to this worthy cause to make a difference in the lives of people who are in need of a wheelchair.

The Bread Tags for Wheelchairs project is facilitated by the Polystyrene Packaging Council of South Africa in order to recycle bread tags and in return wheelchairs are distributed.

Mary Honeybun founded the organisation in 2006 in Cape Town and they provide two to three wheelchairs around South Africa every month. Having a wheelchair gives the recipient independence and mobility and this makes a big difference to their families as well.

Van As, a mother of two, was born and bred in Polokwane. She had to relocate to the city in 2013 for a business opportunity.

She adopted the initiative from the previous home owner and has been collecting since. She encourages her family, including her workers, to never throw away the bread tags because it helps people and it saves the environment.

One of her bags takes about 3 000 tags, weighing 1kg.

“It takes me months to a year to have a full bag of tags. It’s not easy, but with the help of the public we can achieve our goal. My family and I previously accumulated 81kg that took us close to two years to collect. We added that to the previous owner’s collection to get 200kg.

“The wheelchair we received was from a wheelchair and prosthetic company in Pretoria. We donated it to a pensioner lady in Kempton Park . The wheelchair was in a good condition and to see the smile on the recipient’s face was very pleasing,” said Van As.

The beautician is committed to helping people in the city.

“In a country where everything is becoming a victim of materialism, everybody is craving love. It is an emotion the country severely lacks nowadays. The bread tag initiative is a good way to prove that love still exists. It gives people hope that humanity is still present,” said Van As.

One needs 200kg of bread tags for one wheelchair. That is around 600 000 tags.

The local artist appeals to residents to help her collect the last 80kg of bread tags to add to the 120kg she had already collected the past four years, to be able to get another wheelchair.

“A little act of kindness at the right moment can give someone a good day. Community members should use their privileges to bring hope to the underprivileged,” said Van As.

For more information, contact Van As on 084 501 3109 or at sanet.vanas@gmail.com