Durban - “After my daughter was born, I found that I had a lot of leftover nappies and clothes that she had outgrown, and I thought of a way to assist my local community,” said founder and KZN branch leader of The Grace Factory, Amy Westerman.
The women-led NPO, founded in January 2013, collects donations of items such as blankets, clothes, beanies and booties to go into packs. They also fund-raise so they can provide maternity pads and other toiletries to deliver to moms in need.
Their vision is to be able to give every mom who delivers a baby in South Africa a maternity pack, to help her with the first few days of the baby’s life.
“We aim to bring hope to moms in need, and appeal for donations,” she said.
The most recent delivery was to St Mary’s Hospital, Mariannhill, on Sunday.
Packing days usually happen once a month.
Volunteer Anja Schramm said it was an honour to be a part of the Grace Factory family.
She said: “The ingredients to making a difference are really simple ‒ a pinch of time and a whole lot of love. If every human paid it forward and made someone else’s day a little brighter, imagine what could be accomplished.”
The Grace Factory also has a branches in Gauteng.
To donate, visit www.thegracefactory.co.za.
News of the Grace Factory featured on The Good Things Guy organisation founded in 2015 to spread hope and positivity in the country.
“I was deeply moved by the constant stream of negative news,” said Good Things Guy founder Brent Lindeque.
“I felt a strong urge to bring more positivity into the world and shine a light on the incredible good deeds and heart-warming stories happening every day. That’s how the idea of Good Things Guy was born.”
He said their network curated and shared these stories on their website (goodthingsguy.com) and social media platforms, hoping to connect people with uplifting content that restored faith in humanity, reminding people that there were always good things being done by good people, even during challenging times.
The Independent on Saturday