With Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising to 7.1% in March and interest rates being the highest they’ve been since 2009, many households are likely to feel the pressure this Winter. While many might not be in a position to give financially, there are other ways to help support your local community.
How to support your community
1) Donate indirectly
There are stores that donate a portion of their sales price to a charitable cause on their patrons’ behalf. An example of this is The My School My Village My Planet card that allows a percentage of your purchase value to go to the school or charity of your choice. Other organisations might ask to add an extra R5 to your total to donate towards a valuable cause.
2) Contribute towards a meal
There are multiple local feeding schemes around that could use the generosity of their local community to help them feed those in need. Most do not require expensive ingredients – dropping off a loaf of bread, some sandwiches, or some homemade soup is often all they need. To find a feeding scheme you can support, search through local social media pages or reach out to a local real estate agent who might know of one in the area.
3) Support the local economy
One of the best ways to help your community is to support the local business in and around your area. Visit local restaurants and tip the waiters generously. Purchase goods from the local stores instead of ordering from overseas companies. Doing so can help keep local businesses open and create new job opportunities for those who are currently without work.
4) Donate to a local shelter
“It is the perfect time of the year to pack out wardrobes and cupboards to donate any unwanted goods. As a way of giving back to our local communities, we will be running our annual Coats & Cans drive where people can drop off warm clothing and non-perishable food items at our participating offices across the country. To help animal shelters, we will also be accepting donations of pet blankets and pet food. At the end of Winter, the collections will be dropped off at various NPOs and shelters across the country,” explains Adrian Goslett, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.
“We are heading into challenging economic circumstances. The best way to overcome this is to support each other in any way that we can. I am looking forward to running our Coats & Cans campaign again this year and am hopeful that our offices will be able to make a noticeable impact within their local communities,” Goslett concludes.
Writer: Kayla Ferguson