Giving A Hand Up - Not A Hand Out
One of the mottos of our Society is to give those who are in need a hand up – not a hand out. In other words we wish to empower and enable them to take responsibility for their own lives and make a better future for themselves.
With that objective in mind one of the organizations that we support is MES. Below is a brief explanation with some graphics which show how MES works. (See Quicket.)
Meal Voucher System
The meal voucher system is part of the responsible giving campaign that was initiated by the City of Cape Town. The vouchers can be handed out to any street person, or to people standing at the robots, and they can also be sponsored in order for MES to hand them out to people that have been accessed by the social auxiliary worker.
The vouchers can be used at any of the three available kitchens – Durbanville, Bellville and Brackenfell. With these vouchers the homeless can receive their meals and become more aware of the services offered by MES.
(NB: Meal Vouchers are available for sale at the Church. One meal voucher costs R5 and a booklet R50 (10 vouchers per booklet). All the profit made from the selling of the tickets will be used for the services to street people in Durbanville.)
GROW Job Rehabilitation Programme
Lilly Franks (Branch Manager, MES Cape Town)
Offering a meal to a person on the streets is one of the most basic needs that can be addressed. Receiving a decent meal offers dignity to our homeless community and can put them one step closer to change.
Part of the MES success is our GROW job rehabilitation programme as it alleviates poverty and reduces aggressive begging by offering an honest day’s work. Duties include the sweeping of streets, removing weeds, gardening services, car guards, distribution of pamphlets, etc.
Many businesses and churches are already supporting the GROW concept because it works. Most of the MES clients receiving meal vouchers are referred to our GROW programme which works alongside our social workers, occupational therapist and the skills training department.
