A group of people from the City’s Safe Space in Green Point will sleep a bit warmer this winter, thanks to a generous donation of 200 sleeping bags.
The handover, which took place on Wednesday, 19 March, was made possible through a partnership between a top retail giant, Taking Care of Business (TCB), a non-profit social enterprise and Matdoc Projects, a Safe Spaces partner of the City of Cape Town.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis attended the handover of the first batch of sleeping bags made from upcycled store marketing materials and recycled fabric waste filling supplied by the store. About 2,500 will be handed over to various Safe Spaces in the coming months.
Hill-Lewis said: “We are very grateful for this meaningful contribution to our City Safe Spaces, which offer dignified transitional shelter and social programmes to help people leave the streets for good.”
He said Safe Spaces offers a range of services, including personal development planning, family reunifications, employment opportunities, referrals for mental health, and medical and substance-abuse treatment. “With the help of NGO partners, residents and the private sector, we can achieve our goals to keep expanding the Safe Space model to more parts of our city. Capetonians are well-known for their generosity of spirit, and it is important for us to direct our caring donations to empower the many NGO-run initiatives aimed at helping people off the streets sustainably, rather than do handouts which don’t achieve this change.”
Anthony Thunström, chief executive officer OF the retailer, said: “We want to practise responsible product stewardship in the way we design, manufacture, sell and dispose of products to minimise environmental impact. We also recognise the many challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness.”
He said he hoped the bags would provide much-needed warmth and comfort during the cold winter months. “This partnership with the City’s Safe Spaces programme and TCB is a wonderful example of this commitment in practice, showing how we can make a positive difference while also increasing our resource efficiency.”
Tracey Gilmore, co-founder and chief operations officer of TCB, said this partnership demonstrated the power of circular economy solutions that turn waste into worth. “Through Remake, unemployed seamstresses are learning to run micro-manufacturing businesses, earning an income, developing skills, and contributing to a sustainable future. By turning textile waste into warmth, we’re helping those in need and fostering entrepreneurship and resilience.”
