During turn the tide 4 children’s 2012 blankets4children drive, 1090 blankets were distributed to vulnerable and needy people. Money was donated by turn the tide 4 children (ttt4c) partners for the purchase of 545 blankets – with this being matched by participating churches who raised funds for another 545 blankets.
Through this annual winter blankets4children drive, ttt4c donors and partners have the opportunity to bless vulnerable people – through local churches – during a particularly difficult time of the year.
Churches are advised that for every blanket they purchase for R30, ttt4c partners will donate an additional blanket to that church to distribute to the needy in their community. The church thus gets a unique ‘two-for-one’ opportunity to double their impact. Churches who have participated in the drive, have found this principle of multiplication to be highly motivational.
Donors, in effect, have seen their donation doubled and the good work which is already being done by local churches multiplied – with the knowledge that the blankets are distributed through proven channels i.e. churches who are already active in meeting the needs of vulnerable people in their community.
There were four primary churches that participated in the 2012 blanket drive – Nazareth Family Church, the NG Church Florida Park, the Lenasia Church of the Nazarene and Lehae Christian Church.
Nazareth Family Church in Chatsworth received 400 blankets for distribution during their two day KidZ Winter Blanket Drive. Pastor Pillay of the church reports: “Members of our congregation really got behind this – taking time off from work to be involved and giving sacrificially.” Pastor Pillay also reminds of us of how Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the needs of the people – and didn’t just cater for their spiritual needs, but took care of their physical needs as well. (Click here for full report)
The NG Church Florida Park participated in the blanket drive for the second time. The congregation had taken up a special collection for blankets and had raised nearly R6000 for the purchase of 200 blankets. ttt4c was able to double this number and the church received 400 blankets for distribution. Dominee Daniel Louw, together with members of his congregation, was able to distribute the blankets – in the name of the Lord – to people in need in the community. He describes his experience: “When the cold front hit, I was able to go out to distribute blankets to people who sleep on the streets in the Florida business area and down at the station. It was touching to see their response – the blankets were as ‘manna from heaven’ for the people.” (Click here for full report)
The Lenasia Church of the Nazarene distributed 50 blankets to vulnerable children from the informal settlement of Thembelisha, where the church runs a weekly Sunday school. Rev Naidoo, who participated in the project recounts: “The blankets were distributed to those that we saw were mostly in need. The faces of joy, in knowing that they would sleep with warmth that night, were indescribable.” (Click here for full report)
Lehae Christian Church received 240 blankets which were distributed by pastors in various projects. One of these was Pastor Chellen from Teen Challenge Lenasia who distributed blankets at a soup kitchen run by the Kliptown Nazarene Church and at a feeding scheme in Orange Farm. He shares some of his experience: “These people are the poorest of the poor, with no proper housing. They were so excited to receive the blankets – I wish you could have seen the expression on their faces. The giving of the blankets was a great blessing to them. We’ll never know how much the blankets meant to them, until we stand in eternity one day.” (Click here for full report)
In the words of one of the participating pastors: “Our thanks to the ttt4c donors for their initiative this project.”
What a privilege it is to partner together to meet needs in a practical way!
