Pietermaritzburg Benevolent Society

What we do:

We feed and clothe the needy !

We distribute food and clothing items to families referred to us from several other welfare organizations for the past 162 years.

Some of the families we see are grandmothers supporting their orphaned grandchildren on only their old age pensions. Some child headed homes where young children are looking after their younger siblings. They come to us before they go to school in their school clothes to collect a food parcel, some are even too sick to work and they do not qualify for any Government Aid. Some are street people with no food to eat and nowhere to go.

We also assist abused women and children; we assist all ages, all races and all religions.

We give to these families a food and clothing parcel and another date to return to collect there next parcels. Some of these families have nowhere else to go for any assistance.

The food items that hand to these needy people we do not get as a donation we have to purchase these food items as an on-going project due to HIV and Aids related illness, unemployment and continuous poverty growth in South Africa.

We assist families for as long as we can. It is so nice to see when the families struggle to carry the food and clothing parcels because they are so full. It is very difficult when the parents, often single parents, cannot even provide the basic needs such as food and clothing for their children. Most times they can’t give their children a toy over the festive season.

Our food parcels contain mealie meal, sugar, rice, stock cubes, samp, beans, tea, soap, soup, soya, salt, tin fish, tin jam, flour, tin mix vegetables, sweets and chips, and whatever we receive as donations.

In our clothing parcels we place clothing, baby clothes, blankets, warm clothes and when needed house hold items. When there is a disaster, such as fires and floods, we try and assist with blankets and whatever we have to give the families.

We feed and clothe the needy !