In June, the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) put out a “Show you care” call for organisations and individuals to lend a hand and help make Cape Town’s cold and wet conditions a little bearable for the most vulnerable in the CBD and surrounding communities.
The call is part of the current CCID annual “Show you care” winter drive aimed at raising public awareness about the plight of streetpeople during the colder months. The winter drive is run by the CCID’s Social Development department and is also aimed at highlighting the work carried out by this department which engages with the Central City’s most vulnerable individuals and forms partnerships that will alleviate the CBD’s own challenges.
Here are some of the organisations and individuals that have responded to the call
1. Members of the public
For the winter drive, SnapScan is the most accessible option for those who wish to make monetary donations which the CCID’s Social Development department distributes to its primary partners in the Central City. And, since May 2018, the organisation has received donations via SnapScan to the value of R8 300, thanks to generous members of the public.
The “Show you care” winter drive is scheduled to run until September 2018 and for those who wish to still make a monetary donation, this can easily be done all year round just by SMSing “give” to 38088 (to donate R10), or by making a SnapScan donation of any amount of your choosing via a smart phone. For the latter, just download the free app and scan the code below. Alternatively, donors can make an EFT payment, the details of which (along with terms and conditions for all donations received) can be found at www.showyoucare.co.za.
2. CCID Staff
The CCID’s own staff heeded the call and collected warm clothing which was distributed to the TB HIV Care Drop-in Centre and the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children. In addition, on Mandela Day (18 July), members from the CCID’s Safety & Security department (namely, manager Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks and assistant manager Alec Van De Rheede) donated high-end sneakers that they received from a well-known CBD sportswear retailer to the CCID’s partner NGOs. Forty pairs of infant shoes were donated to babies at St Anne’s Homes, 30 pairs of girls shoes were handed over to Ons Plek Projects and The Homestead Projects for Street Children in Khayelitsha received 30 pairs of shoes for boys.
3. Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel
The hotel has been supporting the CCID’s “Show you care” campaign for a number of years and once again requested a CCID donation bin to be placed on their premises as they wanted to celebrate Madiba’s 100th birthday by giving back to the less fortunate. The hotel committed to collecting donations for the month of July and to distribute the items to The Haven Night Shelter as well as smaller local schools in need.
4. Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
The Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel has also been supporting the CCID’s Social Development team with donations for years. The staff collected clothing, toys and toiletries using one of the CCID’s donation bins. The items were distributed to Youth Solutions Africa (Y.S.A), St Anne’s Homes and the City of Cape Town’s Safe Space.
5. Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room
Clarke’s came on board for the first time this year and collected clothes and shoes which the CCID distributed to The Haven Night Shelter. The restaurant received overwhelming support from its patrons and managed to fill a second donation bin with items which were distributed to Youth Solutions Africa.
6. Seeff
Real estate agency Seeff also came on board for the first time and requested three donation bins which they placed at their Kloof Street, Mouille Point and Sea Point offices. The CCID’s Social Development department distributed the adult clothes collected to the City’s Safe Space and the children’s clothes, toys and blanket were distributed to the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children.
7. Happy Space
Happy Space, which describes itself as a well-being collaboratory and a place to co-create with nature and promote well-being, requested three A3 “Show you care” posters and SnapScan stands to place inside their venue in order for people to make donations.
8. Goodluck
Multiple award-winning group, Goodluck which consists of members, Ben Peters, Juliet “Jules” Harding and Matthew O’Connell, also embraced the spirit of the ‘Show you care’ message. They recently teamed up with NPO Souper Troopers to perform for over 650 homeless people in the Central City and surrounding areas. This was during Souper Troopers’ 4th birthday celebration held on 10 June at The Carpenter’s Shop – a Central City NGO which provides ablution facilities, a second-phase shelter and vocational training.
Founded on 7 June 2014, Souper Troopers started with a pot of soup and a realisation that Cape Town communities can create meaningful change through small acts of kindness. The organisation, through collaboration with volunteers, homeless individuals and corporates organises monthly socials that include haircuts and a wholesome meal, pop-up boutique clothing spaces that allow homeless individuals to “shop” in a dignified manner, mobile showers, games and an opportunity to celebrate birthdays.
Says Ben Peters, producer and drummer for Goodluck: “We heard about Souper Troopers through our friend, Evan Coosner who is a well-known chef in Cape Town. He told us about the concept and the amazing work the organisation is doing to engage with and uplift the homeless community and asked us if we would perform at the organisation’s birthday celebration. We didn’t think twice as we thought it would be an awesome way to kick off our involvement and it was one of the best experiences of our lives.
“I think so often we’re scared to connect with people who live in different conditions to our own and by being in that environment, we were so humbled by their openness and their ability to cast off the weight of their circumstance and enjoy our songs. There was a moment for me when Jules was in the middle of the crowd singing at the top of her voice and everyone was around her just smiling and dancing. I could see how the music was transporting everyone from their troubles, taking them away from it all and making everything all right, even for just a few moments - that was a little bit of magic.”
Lead vocalist for the group, Jules Harding shares Ben’s sentiments adding: “As a band, we’re very passionate about giving back and getting involved in as many projects as we can. I think it’s so easy to forget that our privilege starts at our front door and that being able to sleep in a warm house is to some an unimaginable luxury. It costs very little to support NGOs and sometimes it’s just a matter of giving your time which is something we could all contribute to, to make a massive difference to those less fortunate than us.”
Manager for the Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) Social Development department, Pat Eddy notes: “It’s heartening to see individuals and organisations in the CBD collaborating and embracing the spirit of the ‘Show you care’ message which we, as the CCID, promote throughout the year. Right now, we’re in the depths of our own ‘Show you care’ winter drive aimed at raising public awareness about the plight of people living on the streets.
“But when a popular group like Goodluck gets involved in this way, it brings the ‘Show you care’ message to so many more people and really raises awareness for the plight of people living on the streets of the Central City, and beyond.”
Remarking on the band’s involvement, Kerry Hoffman, the founder of Souper Troopers explains that anyone is invited to share their talent with “The Troopers” – an affectionate name for the organisation’s beneficiaries.
“Souper Troopers is about creating moments together with people living on the streets; it’s about dignity, love and respect.
“And having Goodluck performing for The Troopers on the day just added something special and it’s amazing that they wanted to be a part of our celebration and to share their talent. On the day, we also had well-known comedian, Nik Rabinowitz entertaining The Troopers and we handed out winter warmth packs containing blankets, scarves, socks, toiletries and beanies from our beanie project. Ultimately, we want to create a sustainable human hub and are always looking for people to not only make donations but to share their skills.”
Adds Pat: “It is truly wonderful to see what can be achieved when we all pull together to ‘show we care’ towards those who need it most or towards the organisations that assist with alleviating challenges faced by our streetpeople community. Most importantly, we hope these activities will continue even beyond winter, as the challenges that our streetpeople community face require long-term solutions and partnerships.”
Images by Goodluck, Clarke's and Scott Arendse (CCID Online Coordinator)