Beanies for Beings strives to be the change
Beanies for Beings was registered as an NPO in May 2018, and since then they have been involved in helping 12 crèche under their umbrella.
When it comes to change, people tend to question whether they are able to make any significant impact because they are just one person.
Megan Botha, who founded the local NPO Beanies for Beings is a sterling example of how one person can have such a huge impact on the communities around them. Megan sees herself as the one connecting the people who want to donate to the people who are in need of those donations.
“I started the charity in 2017 when I was turning 46. I wanted to make 460 beanies – I challenged myself to learn how to knit – to give to people in need instead of receiving gifts for myself, and ended up making 1 200 with my friend Gary. He is also a member of the NPO,” explained Botha. They then needed to find heads for all the beanies, and realised how great the need was among the people in their immediate surrounding communities. So Beanies for Beings was birthed as a response to meeting that need.
Beanies for Beings was registered as an NPO in May 2018, and since then they have been involved in helping 12 crèche under their umbrella. They supply ECD equipment, tracksuits and mattresses; make prosthetic breasts for ladies undergoing mastectomies; make blankets for animal shelters, and supply food, jackets, bowls and leashes, among other.
They have done food drives, helped setting up libraries, distributed Meals of Hope, supplied toiletries, provided human trafficking support by donating blankets, packs and toiletries, supplied stationery and text books, helped places of safety with knitted or crocheted bags with sanitary items for Women’s Months, helped renovate a primary school in Video informal settlement, built a crèche, and supported old age homes with blankets and food.
They also help people with babies who don’t have the funds to buy the necessities. If donations allow they help them with nappies and baby toiletries for the first two years. “We have a charity shop to help anyone in need, such as those who have lost their homes in shack fires or floods. They can come into the shop and take what they need,” added Botha. They also form part of the well-being food bank that’s currently feeding between 56 and 70 community members each month.
Beanies for Beings are big supporters of Cupcakes for Kids with Cancer, and volunteer at Cansa Shavathons, they assist with collecting bottle tops for The Sweethearts Foundation, and are supporters of Play it Forward Jozi – a small charity that collects and donates used sporting equipment to underprivileged schools, clubs and communities. They assist in numerous community projects like establishing veggie gardens, and helping people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
“On Mother’s Day we selected 40 gogos and packed blankets, shawls, bed socks, tea, sugar, biscuits, and sweets to say thank you to them. For Father’s Day we selected the waste pickers that do the recycling,” explained Botha. They were given sleeping bags made for them from recycled materials and a sponsored blanket, as well as scarves, beanies, toiletries and meal hampers in addition to Meals of Hope.
These are just some of the many projects that Beanies of Beings are a part of. Botha asked that if members of the community would like to make a donation towards Beanies for Beings, that they donate sanitary products and toiletries towards her focal project for the month.
