Crèche is grateful for donation

MEMBERS of Shelly Beach Rotary Club handed over a brand new stove as well as 20 food parcels to the Merlewood Crèche in the Port Shepstone area.

This crèche is run by the Methodist Church and serves the needy children in the Merlewood area. The parents of the children are underprivileged and cannot contribute to crèche fees. The crèche relies on the community for financial assistance and whatever else is needed to keep the school operational.

Earlier in 2013, Olive Smith, principal of the crèche, approached the Shelly Beach Rotary Club for assistance, as they were in dire need of a new stove to prepare childrens’ meals as well as for other needy and aged people in the area whom the crèche was assisting with meals.

The Rotary Club used its district grant and although it did not cover the entire cost of the stove and the installation thereof, the club paid in the difference to complete the initiative. This coincidentally occurred at the same time that the club received their allocation of 20 food parcels from the East Coast Radio’s ‘Toy Story’ campaign.

Each parcel contained enough food to feed a family of four for at least a month, if not longer. It was therefore opportune that both these handovers were done at the same time. Unfortunately the club’s allocation of toys had not arrived yet, but these will be distributed as soon as they arrive.

The donation of the stove as well as the food parcels certainly brought some Christmas cheer to the faces of the children and staff at the crèche.