Posts Tagged 'charity'
6
I drove to Lenasia South yesterday morning to meet Pooja. I’m taking the photos at her and Suren’s wedding next Saturday and I wanted to see the temple that they’re getting married in… just to be prepared.
After checking out the temple, which by the way, is just incredible, we drove around the corner to her future MIL’s house to chat about the timing on the day. I didn’t realise that they ran a feeding scheme from their home! Once a month, they feed destitute adults and children that live in the area. And Saturday was the day that this month’s meal happened.
When they started this 5 years ago, it was quite small…. but now it’s quite an amazing undertaking. They feed over 500 children and a few hundred adults every month. Not only does everyone get a good hot meal, but everyone gets to take home a food parcel! And it’s run completely by donations from the local community and others that have heard about them!
Thankfully, I carry a camera on me wherever I go, so I grabbed my camera and the only lens I had in my handbag… my 50mm and I took some photos. LOL they thought it was quite funny that I carry a camera everywhere 
but hey, I’m a blogger!! I love telling stories with photos 
Anyway, they’ve got the “kitchen” set up in the garage, and while I was there they had 4 of the most enormous pots I’ve ever seen, cooking the food. Shamilaa was telling me that they cook 60 kg of rice now, and they get up at 4am to start the food, having started the food parcel preparations on the Thursday before the event.
I have never seen such a massive wooden spoon in my life…
The blue packets are the food parcels
500 packs for the kids to take home, which included chips and sweets and fruit
I was there at 10am, and the food starts getting dished out at around midday, but even knowing that, the kids had started arriving and were playing on the grass outside the house. As soon as they saw my camera they came running
I’m definitely going again. On the 10th of December they’re going to be having their Christmas lunch. Last year they fed 1600 kids on that day, and every single child got a gift. Shamilaa told me that it was amazing to see the gifts arrive… and it was a miracle that every person got something to take home. They’re expecting many more kids and adults at this year’s Christmas event… and they’re needing help. So… if you can help in any way, please contact them via their website.
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5
Yesterday tweeters from all around South Africa met up to donate blankets at various spots around the country for the Twitter Blanket Drive which had been promoted using the #TBD hashtag. Melanie Minnaar is the tweeter behind the event, and this was the second year that she organised this event in time for the coldest winter nights. I was determined to make it this year, as last year, a charity that I’d done work with had been the recipient of some of the donations and I wasn’t able to attend.
I went to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosebank last night with my kids to donate our blankets… I’d bought 10 baby blankets instead of the adult blankets that everyone had been talking about during the day. We didn’t stay very long because the kids hadn’t eaten yet (in fact I wish I’d known that there were going to be talks by the charities)… and they were running riot in the hotel after only about 20 minutes. But I did manage to meet quite a few people that I’ve been chatting to for years, but never actually met in real life ) the sign of a good tweet up!
I’m dying to find out how many blankets were actually collected, but from the looks of the pile in the hotel it was an enormous amount well done to the whole team that put this year’s event together
I was stoked to finally meet Norwin and Ledlet and their son JB (the little blonde boy in the blankets). If you don’t read his blog, you should, JB is most amazing.
Haha and Walter Pike did some planking on the blankets
Even DJ Fresh was in the mix…
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1
I went to Artjamming in the Blu Bird Centre in Melrose again today, to join a few people who were painting more doors for the Johannesburg Child Welfare 100 Doors project. I was only there over lunchtime so I didn’t get to take photos of everyone that was painting today, but what I saw was awesome
Firstly, I just have to say that I LOVE the space… love the light… love all the colour… love the splatter all over the place… and love the people. I’m DEFINITELY taking my kids there in the holidays to paint for a few hours. And the fact that Col’Cacchio’s is next door is such a win… we had the most divine pizzas again!
The door being painted by Artjamming is looking stunning!
5FM DJ Nicole Da Silva painting her door
702′s Leigh Bennie and Reuben the Screwman planning what they’re going to be doing
Musician, Harry Brooks JNR painting his door
94.7′s Graeme Joffe had us all in stitches
Kayla from Artjamming giving a helping hand
The auction with all these doors is going to be magnificent. If you would like to see some of the finished doors, there are a few currently on display at Mandela Square in Sandton, and also in the Morningside Shopping centre.
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Joburg Child Welfare has a 100 Doors campaign, where celebrities, artists and other more ordinary folk donating their time and skills and are making artwork out of old doors. The doors will ultimately be sold in an auction in February 2011. I took a few photos of completed doors a few months ago, when they were on display; but today was different. I was asked by Sarah to take photos of people actually painting the doors!
Today’s 100 Doors art jamming session was held at Artjamming at the Blu Bird Centre in Birnam. What a magnificent place!! It’s an art studio, right next to Col’Cacchios (such a win because you can order pizza and wine and have a feast while you paint); and you can go there for art lessons, or just to play around with paints. All you need to do is pay for the canvas, and then the paint and studio time is free!! How awesome!! They also organise painting parties for kids, as well as for groups of adults. I think I’m going to organise a girls night out there… with a bit of pizza, wine and art… what a cool evening out!
Anyhoo, back to the 100 Doors… 4 doors were started today, and everyone looked like they really enjoyed themselves. The session started just after 3pm so that everyone’s kids could get involved.
Dee Blackie and her kids planned their door quite seriously… and the baobab tree was the inspiration
Brothers from Othandweni Children’s home in Soweto spent ages perfecting this intricate design. I went to Othandweni for a Christmas party last year for HelpPortrait project, and that’s how I got involved with Joburg Child Welfare, so it was great to see some of the kids.
Col’cacchios provided us with fabulous pizzas and drinks for the afternoon
Basetsana Khumalo also joined in the fun and painted a door
And the Artjamming team then started their own door
Alex Blackie joined the Blackie team to help with the painting, and look how gorgeous their door turned out!
If you are interesting in painting a door, or getting involved in any way, join the 100 Doors facebook event or contact Sarah on fundraising@jhbchildwelfare.co.za
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21
I had such fun on Saturday, taking photos of the Amazing Race for Charity. This event was the 8th one, and again, started and ended at The Baron in Sandton.
When Dean contacted me a few months ago, and asked me to take the photos again, I jumped at the chance… I’d had so much fun taking the photos at the event in March, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity again.
Almost 15o teams of 4 or 5 people competed in the event (the rules are that the driver of the car has to be a woman), which saw contestants racing around the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. All the money raised at the event was donated to Philimpilo Community Care.
First some of the teams before they started. You may spot Telana, Melissa Attree and Leigh-Ann Mol in this first collage, although, you may not
The Lego men won the “Best Dressed” prize for these costumes that took them 50 hours to make!
And the cars were just as good! The best dressed car was won by the Pigspotter team
Carcol sponsored the Zimmerframe Rabinowitz Sisters team with this gorgeous graffiti’ed car
Then it was time to start… the teams got their first clues before racing off to find Blue Bird Centre (based on the photo they were given) to get the proper clue sheet
The first clue led everyone to Mandela Square where they took part in a flash mob. It was too cool!! They even had the patrons in the restaurants around the square chanting “His head’s too small”. Then just as it started they dispersed
One of the clues led them to Parktown where one of the team members had to parallel park a Geely blindfolded! While I was there, the one girl that drove, and did quite well, had never driven a manual car before!
And another clue led them to a random street in Parkhurst where the contestants had to do chalk outlines of their team mates
At the Morningside Shopping Centre, they danced to Thriller
And at the Field and Study Centre in Sandton, they did pillow fights. There were other places they went, but I didn’t manage to get there before the first time arrived back at The Baron.
But someone had to win… and this team did… arriving at 4:45pm. They donated their R10000 prize (sponsored by Play Energy Drinks) to Doctors without Borders! How cool are they?!
Even Dean’s parents participated this year… they looked like they had a blast. Their team was called “4 weddings and a funeral”
The team that won the best dance team for the thriller dance they did
… and then everyone partied at The Baron again
There are more photos that have been loaded in an album on Facebook, you just have to follow it to tag yourselves.
Hope everyone has got inspired by this post, and are starting to plan teams, outfits and cars for next year’s event If you follow the Amazing Race Continues Facebook group, you’ll get to hear when the entries for the next event open.