Our branches around the country commemorated Mandela Day in 2022 by volunteering their time to worthy organisations in each province that we operate from. Our staff were delighted to honour Madiba’s legacy through the below initiatives. CPM believes that charity should be practiced as a constant habit, not simply via a few minutes in July. To that end, we support a variety of causes independently of our Mandela Day efforts throughout the year. Sign up to our mailing list to receive updates on these as they develop, and to stay informed of current industry news and CPM specials.
WESTERN CAPE
Our Head Office chose more than one organisation to donate time and money to this year.
- Little Brinks is a registered NPO which started in 2008 when they saw the need for someone to step in and try to make the lives of children a little bit better, after seeing how many of them go to bed hungry, hurt and neglected. They believe each and every child deserves to be loved and properly nourished, and rely almost completely on contributions from the public. CPM Cape Town donated a 9×3 meter wooden cabin – a much needed extension to their living space, which will house 8 of their current foster kids, aged 1 month – 4 years old. We got to work varnishing the cabin, setting up a water and electricity line, rigging out the place with power and water, and installing a bath, toilet and baby station. We finished off by cleaning the area and mowing their lawn for them. Staff also assisted with sorting the kids clothing by age group and packing it neatly into donated cupboards; and of course there were lots of cuddles for the little ones. CPM Management is extremely proud of our Head Office team who really stepped up and brought all their strengths to the table, to make a huge difference to Little Brinks.
- Wolverivier Shelter is led by wonderful leader Magdalene and assisted by five others who together have been feeding the community kids and a few elderly residents for 5 years. They provide 60 preschoolers with breakfast 5 times a week and 250 schoolgoing children with 3 meals a week. They also feed the dogs in their community, towards which CPM staff donated some money. During the school holidays Magdalene teaches the kids life skills which involve cleanup projects and cooking, and with her pastor husband at her side, they uplift their community daily. CPM staff got to work making 260 hotdogs at the Cape Town offices and sent them to the shelter along with apples and lollipops. Wolverivier staff reported back that they ended up extending their reach for Mandela Day to feed almost 600 hungry kids!
KWAZULU-NATAL:
Our Durban branch supported Khulani Children’s Shelter in 2021, and our staff wholeheartedly agreed that Khulani would once again be our charity of choice, since this home addresses such a great need. We were so happy to see the near-completion of a house on the property which will be the new dormitory in the future. What was merely a dream last year is fast becoming reality. Our task of unpacking the groceries was met with great excitement, especially when the little ones spotted the packets of chips! Khulani Shelter is equipped to take in children who have been abandoned and abused, and it also cares for special needs children. It’s a wonderful place to be a part of.
GAUTENG:
Our Johannesburg branch got behind the Edenvale SPCA for their 2022 Mandela Day. We were delighted to note how well the animals are being cared for there, and our time spent on the premises was filled with friendly smiles from all SPCA employees who are doing outstanding work. Our staff left with great admiration for their efforts, as well as the welcoming and caring atmosphere they’ve created. Also left behind were the donations of dog food we’d collected, and a little piece of Shannon’s heart, stolen by the cutest little spotted pig called George!
EASTERN CAPE:
Earlier in July our branch manager Reneé Sangerhaus received an email from St Francis Hospice, an organisation she’d been involved with previously. They were appealing for supporters to use their 67 minutes to make a pot of nutritious soup, freeze it and deliver it to the Hospice for the benefit of people they care for. Our staff were taken by this idea and some decided to choose the hospice, while others opted to rather make food and buy blankets for people living on the streets. We are so heartbroken to note how many more unfortunate souls are surviving in this way as a result of the pandemic measures and economic hardships the country is currently enduring.