St Columba’s celebrates Mandela Day with record-breaking outreach
St Columba’s Presbyterian Church in Parkview honoured Mandela Day by surpassing their outreach goals with an inspiring mix of generosity and innovation.
The spirit of Nelson Mandela was palpably felt at St Columba’s Church in Parkview as the community came together to celebrate Mandela Day with generosity and compassion. Mandela’s legacy of unity and love was the guiding force behind the church’s dual-pronged outreach strategy, which aimed to address pressing social needs while embodying the true essence of his message.
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The outreach team set out to honour his vision by focusing on two critical areas, providing essential food supplies for the homeless, and offering dignity-enhancing solutions for women and girls. The first initiative involved distributing breakfast and lunch packs, while the second addressed menstrual health through innovative reusable sanitary towels.
An enthusiastic awareness campaign drew support from the congregation, residents, and businesses. Contributions included a variety of food items and the help of volunteers. Teams and volunteers from various organisations, and the church’s minister, Rev Melanie Cook, led the initiative.
In a remarkable display of community spirit, the team prepared over 400 lunch packs – surpassing their original goal of 180 – within just 90 minutes. These packs were distributed across Parkview, Auckland Park, various intersections on Jan Smuts Avenue, and Parktown North, ensuring that the needs of the homeless were met with a touch of Madiba’s magic.
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Following the food distribution, Sue Taylor and the Craft and Care team led volunteers in making 500 reusable sanitary towels to support women and girls, aligning with Mandela’s principles of respect and empowerment. The final products will be distributed to schools and women’s shelters, addressing a critical need for menstrual hygiene supplies.
The events at St Columba’s are a reminder of Mandela’s enduring influence, illustrating how his values of unity and care continue to inspire and uplift communities.
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