With a hot meal in their belly, groceries to last a few days, warm clothes for winter and a cosy blanket to snuggle up with, there are 550 people in Newcastle who are a little bit better off today than they were last week.

Even if just for a day, there was light at the end of the tunnel for those in our community who often feel forgotten, exhausted and uncertain about the future, thanks to the Newcastle Lions Club.

The Lions Winter Warmer Project on June 13 (Saturday) was a mixed bag of emotions for all who were involved.

There was a quiet sadness among volunteers as they took in the dire poverty that people in the community grapple with every day, but also a deep-seated joy for the opportunity to step in and help in a meaningful way.

Volunteers witness moments of hardship and hope

In the quiet moments, Lions members and volunteers would pause to take in the soul-stirring scene unfolding before them at the old CMD Church hall in Sunnyridge…

To observe the father putting his pride aside and arriving in torn clothes and battered shoes, hand-in-hand with two small children to pick out the warm clothes he knows they need but can’t afford to give them.

…To watch a little boy’s face light up with happiness as he picks out a stuffed gorilla from the toy crate and hugs it to his chest like he might never let it go.

…To see a teenage girl have the rare opportunity to rummage through the clothing racks like any other young girl her age would on a day out at the mall, pairing her practical need with her fashion sense.

…To hand an old woman on crutches a warm blanket and know she now has this small comfort in her harsh world.

Seeing first-hand the challenges others face, the volunteers described a mindful appreciation for their own life circumstances, paired with a grounded respect for the resilience of those they were helping.

Newcastle Lions Club chairperson Annette Conradie said this year’s was the 10th Winter Warmer drive hosted by the club, and the fourth that she has been a part of since joining in 2022.

The intensive work that goes into Winter Warmer begins the moment one is completed and involves a full year of planning, co-ordination, logistics and promotion that intensifies between January and June.

Project creates dignified shopping experience

When beneficiaries arrive at the church hall, they are first invited for a hot beverage at the tea-and-coffee station before they are handed a plastic shopping bag and led into the hall where all of the clothing and shoes are neatly sorted on clothing racks and in crates according to gender, age and size.

There are also crates of toys for the children to help themselves to.

After they select the clothing they want, each person receives a blanket and a grocery hamper before they are treated to a sit-down hot meal.

The set-up is designed to resemble more of a mall shopping experience, rather than a charity drive.

“Our motto is ‘We Serve’ and poverty alleviation is one of the pillars on which the Lions Club is built. It’s something we do, at the Lions, on an ongoing basis whenever someone in need reaches out to us. Once a year, we do it in a big format with the assistance of Round Table, Rotary, the Newcastle business community and volunteers,” said Conradie.

“For the first time this year, the Lions Club was able to provide food hampers, toiletries and cleaning items in addition to the clothing, blankets and hot meal we usually provide. We were fortunate to receive a donation of 200 loaves of bread, so we had a little more that our beneficiaries could take home with them,” she continued. “We also offered free diabetes screenings on the day.”

Beneficiaries are identified ahead of time through school feeding schemes and families who reach out to the Lions for assistance. ‘Walk-ins’ are welcomed as well, after all identified beneficiaries have been assisted.

Conradie hopes that collaboration with other service organisations will help the Winter Warmer project grow even bigger next year.

She encourages members of the community to donate clothing (there is a dire need for more boys’ and men’s clothing), non-perishable food items, toys and books towards next year’s Winter Warmer project.

“Together, everybody achieves more. We cannot do it alone. Every little bit helps,” Conradie concluded.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel