Cooking, donating and dog-walking were just some of the things people in the Constantia valley did to give back to their community on Mandela Day, on Monday July 18.
Activities were planned all over the valley to bring meaning to this year’s Mandela Day theme, “Do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are.”
Parkscape collected non-perishable food at Steenberg Village on Saturday July 16 and delivered it to the Women of Westlake on Mandela Day.
Women of Westlake, which is part of the City’s expanded public works programme, made up platters of samoosas with cool drinks which they took to health-care workers at the local clinic.
Parkscape chairwoman Nicky Schmidt said they had supported Women of Westlake since the two organisations had met on a memorial march for slain teenager Franziska Blöchliger in 2016.
At a pop-up dog-adoption drive at Constantia Village organised by the Woof Project, a non-profit mobile dog adoption initiative, young volunteers were encouraged to spend 67 minutes walking and caring for dogs up for adoption.
At the Methodist Church in Wynberg, volunteers from JumpStart and the community made a special Mandela Day lunch for the homeless from food donated to Soul Kombuis through the Wynberg Community Action Network. JumpStart is a non-profit organisation that teaches job-readiness skills to unemployed youth.
Prior to the meal being served, Sherry-Lee Solomons and other staff from the City’s street people programme played games and had a lucky draw for the homeless at tables set up in the hall.
Nearby, car horns hooted in support of Scrabble players, knitters and bookworms who picketed for 67 minutes at the corner of Plumstead Main Road and Yudelman’s Lane against the future closure of the Plumstead library.
Later in the day, Lynx Way in Westlake Village was filled with the elderly and youngsters from the community who arrived at Amazing Grace Upliftment Centre to receive donations of food, cool drinks and books.
