By Rachel Mohamed
The non-profit organization Things on Wheels has organized a blanket drive to support those in need. This initiative aims to collect and distribute blankets to vulnerable communities, providing warmth and comfort during the colder months in Cape Town.
Speaking to VOC Breakfast on Wednesday, the representative of Things on Wheels Bahiesha Solomons said the organization has embarked on a fourth blanket drive to help the destitute in the community by keeping them warm this winter.
This winter season, inclement weather has continued to batter the Mother City and as a result has caused flooding to roads and homes, especially in informal settlements.
“We have had three blanket drives this winter and the winter seems to be extended with heavy rainfall, but the disaster is being cleared in the Western Cape. So, we decided that there was a bigger need for blankets”, said Solomons.
The blankets will bring comfort to the destitute across numerous communities.
“We thought we would give a gift of warmth to our less fortunate citizens. That is why we are embarking on another blanket drive. The drive will be distributed across various communities to help the poor of the poorest in the community”.
“One of the informal settlements in Kensington has been flooded for two weeks and the city kept on draining the water, but the water is not drying up because it starts raining again. It is not only in Kensington where the clothes and bedding are wet, but this situation happens everywhere in Cape Town,” she added.
“In winter it is very cold because there is snow around us in Cape Town and people start to cough with people getting sick and ending up with pneumonia and our hospitals are inundated with sick people. We are trying to prevent our hospital system not going down and our hospitals from getting flooded.
The public is encouraged to donate cash or kind to the cause.
“We have a supplier that will be giving us a blanket at a discounted price of R100, and people can donate R50 or even clean blankets to the organizations because not everyone is fortunate to have a clean or blanket for that matter”, she concluded.
VOC News
Photo: Things on Wheels/Facebook