PPC helps the homeless

As part of its internal winter initiative, team members from PPC Montague Gardens recently spent the afternoon at Street Sleepers in Cape Town. Following a briefing that shared more about the social enterprise, they took to the streets of the CBD with warm soup and sleeping bags in an effort to make a difference to some of the homeless community.

With the growth of homeless communities a symptom of the socio-economic challenges facing South Africa, many NPOs and social enterprises are attempting to raise awareness of those living on the street, especially during the winter. ''Providing immediate relief from the harsh conditions of living on the street makes a real difference to someone who has nowhere else to go,'' says Oliver Brain, Founder of Street Sleepers. ''Many of us have become desensitised to the reality of the homeless begging at robots or approaching us for help because it’s become so commonplace. This makes it important to create a bridge of hope between society and the homeless – as we have done with some of the team from PPC today.''

Several representatives from PPC Montague Gardens joined Street Sleepers at their premises in the city to learn more about the NPO’s important work. The projects uses ‘left-field thinking’ to create sleeping bags from recycled billboard materials. This contributes to various social imperatives as it diverts waste material from landfill sites and instead turns it into a survival bag.

''It was fascinating to be taken through this value chain and see how Street Sleepers is both recycling and creating and supporting jobs in the process,'' says Clint Wicomb, PPC General Manager: Sales & Marketing Coastal Region. ''It was humbling to then have the opportunity to meet with some of the homeless community they support and find out more about their individual journeys, challenges and hopes for the future.''

36 survival bags were donated in central Cape Town as part of the initiative.

''While it’s a small start, we believe it’s a great start,'' says Wicomb. ''We thank and commend Street Sleepers for their invaluable work in the community – and hope that this is the start of an ongoing partnership that sees us continue to give back as part of our own social upliftment imperative.''

Adapted from press release by Rebecca Bowden

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/africa-middle-east/31052016/ppc-helps-the-homeless-196/