Editor – As 2021 draws to an end, it is time to reflect on the good and the less pleasant moments of the year.
I stand in awe of God’s goodness, faithfulness and provision.
The South African economy has taken blows from various contributors, including lockdown and load-shedding.
We have also witnessed several people turning homeless because of losing their jobs, while others got their lives turned upside down because of the unrest in July.
However, through it all, God protected our branch, staff, beneficiaries and finances. We are truly thankful.
During the second wave of Covid-19, we had 10 mild cases and had to evacuate our shelter completely for 14 days while ensuring deep cleaning and sanitisation could take place.
God was so gracious with us during the third wave. We did not have a single Covid-19 positive case at our branch.
This year we said goodbye to three staff members and welcomed six members, with one on a permanent basis and five on a fixed-term contract.
The new additions include an auxiliary social worker and a nurse.
Our social workers and nurse enable us to render a much better service to the homeless and vulnerable community, which was not possible before.
We were also fortunate enough to have our staff kitchen renovated by Easy Life Kitchens, which did wonders for staff morale. The shelter ablution facility was also upgraded.
The most exciting project has to be the partnership with the Department of Social Development to add a container structure to our shelter, which has helped us increase our capacity to 65 beds.
We pray that this project will have a positive impact on the homeless community in our inner-city.
Apart from accommodating and catering for 65 shelter beneficiaries, we have also started feeding 50 to 70 families and individuals daily with food donations from various stores such as Pick n Pay, Checkers and Mugg n Bean.
Considering all the favour we have experienced this year, it is sad to say the homelessness and poverty in our city have increased. We need the community of Kempton Park to get involved to help change the heart of our city.
I challenge everyone to put two extra items in their shopping basket this December to donate to MES Kempton Park: a toiletry item like a toothbrush or soap and maybe a sweet treat.
We aim to hand out a gift bag on December 25 to our 65 shelter beneficiaries and 50 people living on the street.
This gesture will form part of our annual Packaged Love campaign, which is in the spirit of bringing Christmas cheer and love to the less fortunate.
To all the friends of MES, a special thank you for believing in us and helping us to make a difference in the inner-city of Kempton Park.
May you all have a Merry Christmas and a blessed crossover into the new year.
Helena van Blerk
Branch manager at MES Kempton Park
