Bermuda is a coral-based group of sub-tropical islands which lie relatively isolated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, almost a thousand kilometres to the east of the USA. Bermuda is small, with a land mass and population of approximately 53 square kilometres and 64 000 people, respectively. Yet, while Bermuda may be small, some of its residents recently showed that they have big hearts.
Saltus Grammar School in Bermuda recently changed its school uniform. The result? A glut of school clothes which could no longer be used at the school.
Rather than let these clothes go to waste, Carol Dixon (a Saltus parent and a longstanding Member and supporter of FoodBank) offered to collect the surplus clothes and to put them to good use in South Africa. The Saltus parents rose to the challenge. They donated hundreds of items of good quality clothes. Some were brand new and in their original wrapping.
The catch was that the cost of shipping the clothes to South Africa was prohibitive. Carol and her husband, FoodBank Director Alan Gilbertson, decided to take the clothes as luggage on future trips to South Africa. In January, Alan went to Cape Town to do volunteer work for FoodBank. He took the first batch, of well over 100 items of clothes vacuum packed in a large and rather heavy suitcase.
While in Cape Town he donated the clothes to a grateful Heinz Park Primary School in Philippi, close to FoodBank Cape Town. At the same time the FoodBank team made a delivery of food including Dole desserts which were hugely popular with the kids!
Owen Molakeng has been the Principal of Heinz Park for the past four years. Mr Molakeng explained that the school is responsible for approximately 1 200 kids ranging from 6 to 12 years old. The main challenge they face is poverty. The school is sponsored by the Department of Education, so the parents do not need to pay fees. However, the school is heavily reliant on food contributions from the Department and from FoodBank. Furthermore, most parents struggle to afford the school uniforms and can only pay for them by fundraising.
Mr Molakeng was therefore very grateful to the Saltus parents for donating this substantial volume of clothes. He assured us that they will be put to good use - and had in mind that the white polo shirts would be prized by the school's soccer team.
At FoodBank, we usually stick to doing what we know best: finding ways to reduce hunger and malnutrition. On this occasion, we were delighted to make an exception and to facilitate this generous donation made by the Saltus parents.
