A blanket donation
KNYSNA - A soup kitchen in Dam se Bos recently benefitted from a kind donation of blankets that were knitted and collected through the 67 Blankets initiative.
The soup kitchen has been run by resident Liezel Mathomane for a year and nine months. It started out in early January 2021 when she fed a family whose house had burnt down across the road from her.
A true hero, Mathomane not only helped feed the family after the fire, but actually helped rescue them from the burning house in the midst of the blaze. Once she was feeding the one family she noticed a few others that needed help too.
"I looked around and saw many people in my community that need help, that need to be fed, and I just couldn't sit back and watch," she said. Now she feeds an average of 150 people three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But, on Friday 9 September the people she feeds received another bit of welcome support when more than 30 blankets and various items of clothing were donated to them.
The blankets came courtesy of Colleen Biddlecombe, a local ambassador of the 67 Blankets organisation, while the clothing donation came from Bossie Bosman of Avbob Knysna and Paula Munro who regularly assist Mathomane with donations to her soup kitchen.
"I really appreciate everything they do, they're always here to help and provide us with support and donations, which we always desperately need," Mathomane said.
The clothing and blankets were handed out to the members of the community, starting with the individuals who needed it most.