Cape Town - The Kensington Neighbourhood Watch will be offering relief to communities in need during the lockdown.
Secretary, Zainulabideen van der Schyff, said the initiative started after it noticed many families in and around Kensington were in need of basic food items, now more than ever because of the lockdown.
“Some people have been unemployed for a very long time; others are living off one pension or social grant per household, so they do not have the means to actually take care of their basic needs during the lockdown. We have people who are local vendors - they need to be working daily to earn their income,” Van der Schyff pointed out.
“It was on that basis that a few concerned members came together and said, ‘let’s donate whatever we can spare’. It just means that a family will have what they didn’t have before to nourish them throughout these days.
“We also started reaching out to the people and communities to donate whatever they have, and we’re putting it together and handing out to needy communities and families inside Kensington/Factreton and the surrounding areas.”
On Saturday, with the help of a donor, food was distributed to these communities under strict supervision by the police.
The Kensington Neighbourhood Watch will be offering relief to communities in need during the lockdown. Picture: Supplied
Projects include a food drive in which people are encouraged to donate groceries that are packaged and distributed. Meals are also prepared through the help of donated ingredients.
The group also shared that it intended to distribute sanitary medical packs consisting of items such as toothpaste, soap, sanitary pads, masks and gloves.
Member, Shaakir Abbass, said: “We want to make sure families are fed while the lockdown is in place. Families that are not working at the moment and not earning anything, and some of the older people in our communities.
“We normally do this every year, but it is now with the lockdown that we are trying to up our efforts.”
Should you wish to donate, call Zainulabideen van der Schyff on +98 9908148661 (via Whatsapp) or Abbass on 0781301115.