Marge gives back to the community
After losing a daughter to cancer, a Silwerkroon resident, Marge van Erk, found motivation to knit beanies and donate them to the most vulnerable individuals.
It has been 31 years since a Silwerkroon resident lost her daughter to cancer, however, she still provides charitable services to the community of the greater Alberton.
The Silwerkroon resident, Marge van Erk, is known for knitting beautiful beanies to keep the individuals with no social advantages’ heads warm during winter.
According to Marge, the motivation behind her beautiful craftwork came from the pain she had to endure for the past decades after losing her daughter to cancer.
“My daughter at the time walked around with a bald head. It did not even last long because she was taken from me six months after being diagnosed with this disease. After many years of losing her, I decided to initiate the beanies drive to keep those heads warm,” said van Erk.
The drive shifted its way and grew from the cancer side to being a project that helps orphaned, abandoned and abused children.
The Alberton Samaritan knits these beanies and sends them to Port Elizabeth where they benefit individuals from the Intsika community projects and another NPO in the south.
The NPO called Intsika was established in January 2016 to break the cycle of poverty in the Greenbushes neighbourhood by educating and mentoring local children.
Marge has been knitting for four years and has knitted more than enough beanies to keep the purpose of the initiative going.
According to her, she wakes up every day at four and has a cup of tea then she starts knitting to make as many beanies as possible per day.
“Every beanie that I make keeps a little head warm and this just makes my heart melt. It makes my heart warm to know that the hands that God gave me are making a difference in someone’s life,” van Erk elaborated.
To assist her to reach more people, she would be happy if anyone could give her extra wool. Contact her on 083 435 8083 to donate.
