Coronavirus causes shut down of non-profit activities

On a “normal” day The Clothing Bank NPC would be operating 3 programmes (The Clothing Bank, The Appliance Bank and GROW Educare Centres) to help eradicate poverty among men, women and children in developing communities across Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and East London. This would take the format of frequent group skills training sessions, face-to-face business mentoring, coaching, learning how to trade or run a business, buying and selling of retail items for trading, and operating early learning centres.

All of these services and all informal trade came to an abrupt halt during the coronavirus lockdown and as a result, thousands of informal traders and small business owners have no income.

Over 3 000 families were instantly affected.

Families are in need of food – urgently

“We are very connected with our beneficiaries on the ground and the narrative is clear: they are anxious and worried about COVID19 and its impact on their communities.

Many don’t know how they will pay rent or where their next meal will come from,”

says Tracey Chambers, CEO of The Clothing Bank and GROW Educare Centres.

 

We’re helping families with food parcels

As a result, the non-profit has applied for an Essential Services certificate and will be using their warehouse and logistics capability to pivot their offering during this time. “We have a large warehouse, trucks and drivers and a large beneficiary base who live in vulnerable communities. We need to take urgent action and we cannot afford to wait. We need as many hands on the ground feeding communities today, the need is dire and we need to mobilise to reach as many as people as possible, fast,” says Tracey.

Fundraising and packing of food parcels with essential items have already started. Their first focus area is to deliver to over 1000 families in need in the Western Cape, before they expand to other regions.

R250 for a family food parcel packed with essentials

A R250 ($13,50) food parcel contains essentials such as rice, oil, peanutbutter, pasta, peas, flour, tea, sugar, maize and beans and will feed a family of four for a week. Thus far they have already raised R65 000 (equivalent to 260 food parcels) and a public donation appeal has been launched that allows anyone to make a contribution, regardless of size or currency, on the Give’nGain platform.

Donate R250 to help families with a food parcel

Tracey says that they’ll need to raise at least R500 000 if they wish to assist 1 000 families for 2 weeks. “Our beneficiaries are informal traders and preschool owners. None are currently earning any money due to the lockdown. Your donation will go towards helping men and women who run their own businesses, but currently have zero income, teachers and staff that work at ECD centres which have been closed, and the families of children who attend our ECD Centres where parents have lost jobs and income.”

For more information contact Tracey Gilmore on info@theclothingbank.org.za

To make a donation please visit https://www.givengain.com/cc/familyfoodparcels/