CLOSE to a hundred days and thousands of food parcels. . .
After 14 weeks and 6 500 much-needed food parcels, the St Francis Bay Disaster Volunteer Group, in conjunction with the St Francis United Church and Rotary Club St Francis, is set to reassess the needs of the local community – putting a stop to the delivery of food parcels for now.
This decision follows the re-opening of the majority of local business since June 1.
“From the start, the focus was placed on assisting individuals and households affected by the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 28 this year – whether you were a South African national or not; whether you received a Sassa grant or not,” said Liezl Clause.
“The non-profit Sea Vista Food Relief Project helped anyone who suffered a financial loss as a result of employers not being able to pay them a salary.”
According to Clause, it recently became a challenge to establish who in the area was still unemployed or retrenched due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as those receiving unemployment benefits.
“Thus, the food relief project is on hold for reassessment,” she said.
“Residents still affected by the pandemic will surface, and this will enable food relief project organisers to draw up a new and much-reduced database.”
The Food Relief Project, that came about as a temporary relief measure, would like to thank all the donors on behalf of the community.
“Without them, none of this would have been possible,” said Clause.
