Fazel MayetThe Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s annual Operation Winter Warm campaign will take place over the weekend of June 10 and 11, and calls on young people to join in as volunteers.
Volunteers will embark on a door-to-door collection drive in Lenasia, asking for donations of clothes, books, blankets and non-perishable food items which will be packaged and distributed to the less fortunate.
“Operation Winter Warm has grown from strength to strength, with young people at the forefront of promoting the ideal of selflessness through volunteerism,” said Busisiwe Nkosi, Youth Programmes Coordinator at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.
“Ahmed Kathrada, or Uncle Kathy as we know him, was an ardent supporter of Operation Winter Warm and encouraged people to get involved. Last year, his fellow Robben Islander, Laloo ‘Isu’ Chiba, aged 86, helped us load the Gift of the Givers trucks that had come to collect the donated items. In is this spirit of volunteerism that we hope young people will this year participate in Operation Winter Warm.”
Nkosi added that volunteers will receive certificates for their role in ensuring that Operation Winter Warm is a success.
“The upcoming collections, set for June 10-11, will mark five years of the Foundation’s annual Operation Winter Warm organised and implemented fully by young people. This event not only serves to rekindle volunteerism, but also encourages our community to do its bit to help the poor and needy. We hope that this year, residents donate even more than they have before,” Nkosi said.
On the weekend of June 3-4, the youth will begin the awareness campaign, which includes the distribution of flyers around Lenasia publicising the collection dates of June 10-11, as well as informing the public of the type of items that can be donated.
Some of the beneficiaries from last year’s drive included Global Relief in Lenasia, children from Little Rose Centre in Kliptown, SOS Children’s Home in Ennerdale, Amakhaya in Lenasia South and Plastic Views informal settlement in Pretoria that was destroyed by fire.
Contact Busisiwe Nkosi on 084 493 6475 to register to be a volunteer for Winter Warm.
