Helping those less fortunate brings with it a multitude of questions and challenges. Who is more deserving? Where’s the best place to make my contribution? What difference can my small investment make? The overriding question should be: is there a smart, effective and immediate way to add real value, responsibly, to a complete stranger who’s living hard?
Absolutely!
But this does not necessarily entail rolling down your window and handing out a R5 coin. The quick hand-out, while well meaning, does little to make a real difference in the life of a homeless person. However, it is possible to effect longer-term change and to meaningfully engage with those less fortunate.
With the palpable chill of winter in the air, here are five tangible ways you can make a fundamental difference today.
- A passport for change
There are many shelters in Cape Town which are open to homeless people at a small cost. At times, however, they can’t afford this charge and sleep on the street. The online ticketing service Quicket, in partnership with The Haven night shelter, has devised what they call a Shelter Passport – a brilliantly simple way to go online and buy a passport filled with printable, charity-ready reprieve. Each ticket you hand to someone in need will guarantee them a hot meal, a shower and a bed for the night, should one be free. That and access to social services and much-needed assistance in helping the homeless find their feet.
- Dine out
Next time you order in or book a table at one of the Mother City’s best kept Italian restaurants, Ferdinando’s on Lower Main Road, Observatory, you get to feed more than just you and your family’s hunger. Simply add between R10 and R50 to your bill and you’ll be helping to feed the neighbourhood’s less fortunate. Every Wednesday at 6pm, Ferdinando’s take the money donated in that week and offer a hot bowl of pasta to the many needy (often homeless) residents, as well as those passing through the neighbourhood. But, more than providing a meal, it’s about creating connections with the people on the streets and developing a long-term strategy to help elevate their lives.
- Get involved
The Central City Improvement District’s Social Development department focuses on assisting homeless people in the CBD area and relies largely on donations. You can donate money, of course, but why not go one better and support with skills training as part of the CCIDs many job creation projects? They work in partnership with multiple NGOs and other organisations, so you’re sure to find a match that could see you sharing your time and skills to help someone become self-sufficient indefinitely.
- Take stock
If you’re at school, approach your teacher and ask for help to launch a food drive. Businesses big and small can get involved too. All they need to do is help you spread the word and also provide a space where you could start stockpiling canned goods a few weeks before taking them to a local charity or shelter. You can apply the same principle to making a call for old, second-hand clothes, blankets, or anything that could help keep a homeless person warm and fed.
- Power in numbers
Crowdfunding is not a new phenomenon, but what’s no less true is that when done right, it works very well indeed! The sky’s the limit on ideas and each campaign is quick and easy to set up. Spread the word on social media and you’ll be pleasantly surprised just how generous people, from right around the world, can be. You could raise funds to provide beds to shelters, or host an urban dinner experience where paying patrons can share a table with a homeless person. The latter provides an opportunity to connect with those who have very little and create connections to offer potential opportunities. It also helps foster understanding and compassion.
They say it takes a village to raise a child and a community to effect real change. In doing one (or hopefully more) of these five things, you’ll immediately be paying your good fortune forward in ways that go above and beyond mere charity.
Article Provided by Irvine Partners
