By: Vuyolwethu Nzolongwane
Jessica Macdonald is appealing to the residents of Buffalo City Metro to take over her self-funded feeding scheme for garbage recyclers that frequent the Beacon Bay area on Mondays.
Macdonald started this initiative with her husband after they noticed how several elderly men and women were breaking some of the lockdown regulations during level 5 in search of food and anything that might be recycled or sold for some cash.
“My husband and I started making sandwiches and leaving them on the gate for them. Then when restrictions were lifted and we were able to go for a walk in the mornings, we would make sandwiches and hand them out as we went. The number of people we saw kept growing, so in August I started a fundraising campaign that would help me increase production and add a hot meal and coffee,” she said.
According to Macdonald, the initial amount that she had aimed to raise was R15 000 but her fundraising campaign was almost triple the initial target in over a week as donations from all over the world poured in.
She added that; the success of the campaign meant that she was able to employ three ladies who would help to knit beanies and gloves for the recyclers to survive the cold weathers and the funds were also used to source wool for a knitting therapy group for a local frail care home which the elderly would use to knit beanies and bed socks for residents of the Childhood Cancer Foundation (CHOC) home in East London.
“I ended the knitting project a month or so ago but made sure to give each lady some money to start their own home business in the hope that they could still bring in some income for themselves,” said Macdonald.
She expressed that, some of the funds were also used for an emergency ambulance call out, an emergency tooth extraction, a funeral for the daughter of one of the ladies, several school uniforms, donations of milk and nappies to different orphanages and clothing for some of the garbage recyclers and their families.
Macdonald is worried that when she has moved, her regulars may feel abandoned and that the one meal that they could always rely on having would no longer be there.
“In a few weeks, my family and I are leaving South Africa. I have been searching for months now for someone to take over the feeding project. It is so simple and affordable, it costs roughly R200 a week to purchase the ingredients needed to make enough food for 25 people. I am begging, if you live in the Beacon Bay area and would be willing to take this project over, please get in touch. I will donate my slow cooker and flasks and provide containers and non-perishable ingredients for the first few weeks,” said Macdonald.
To contact Macdonald, send her a message on Facebook, call or WhatsApp 081 862 1722.