Shalate Drop-In Centre receives food for their community courtesy of Hollywoodbets and Lighthouse Foundation’s Brighter Future Project
The community of Seshego near Polokwane has been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, many people within the area struggle to feed their families due to the economic conditions they face on a daily basis as well as the high unemployment rate. The Shalate Drop-In Centre cares for 104 orphans and vulnerable children between five and 18 years of age. Normally they provide meals to their beneficiaries on a daily basis but currently they’ve been struggling to do so as they rely heavily on donations and support from the public. Hollywoodbets donated R20 000 to Shalate, allowing the centre to purchase food parcels for 49 beneficiaries.
This incredible show of support from South Africa’s largest bookmaker came about thanks to a collaboration between the Hollywoodbets My Community Programme and Nomzamo Mbatha’s Lighthouse Foundation. As part of their “Brighter Future” project R1 million will be given to 60 NPOs and NGOs across all nine South African provinces that have been severely affected by the pandemic.
Under normal circumstances the centre’s beneficiaries visit them on a daily basis to receive assistance with their homework and to spend time in a safe place when they are not in school.
Centre Manager Dorah Semenya is grateful to receive this vital support from Hollywoodbets.
“Your donation has really helped us a lot, especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is quite a relief to our organisations because our beneficiaries are unable to support themselves. These food parcels will feed them as they are at home and unable to come to the centre,” she said.
This is the third donation Hollywoodbets has made to Shalate. “We know all about the incredible work that is being done for the youth at this centre because we’ve visited them for the past two years. We know that they always provide food parcels to children throughout the year, but when we heard that they have been unable to do this since lockdown started we knew we had to get involved and assist them!” said George Maekanya, Hollywoodbets Regional Manager for Limpopo.
For more information on the Shalate Drop-In Centre and the work they do, or to show support you can contact them via email: [email protected]
