With the start of the new academic year in full swing a Kensington-based motorcycle repair shop wanted to ease the financial burden for some parents and managed to collect R15 000 worth of stationery during their stationery drive.
Urban Racing Bike shop in partnership with The Freedom Riders Mcc Cape Town collected much-needed stationery for Kids Can, After School Care and Learning Centre based in Kleinmond in the Overberg.
Lee Peter, co-owner of the store, says as a community-based business this is their way of ploughing back into the community.
“We work with The Freedom Riders Mcc and previously we have raised funds for them for stationery to schools and crèches in Kensington. This time we wanted to lighten the plight for a non-governmental organisation based in the Overstrand area.”
According to Peters, they started the drive about three weeks ago.
“We decided to collaborate and assist them, and we raised some funds.”
She explains that on Sunday 16 January about 60 bikers congregated at the Kensington library before making their way to Kleinmond.
Peters says they were overwhelmed by the generosity of people.
“On Sunday people and other bikers were still coming and handing over stationery. I felt amazed by the generosity of everyone. My comedian friend, Eugene Matthews, assisted me with the advertising. So, we had various people donating.”
According to Peters, they donated reams of paper, crayons, pencils, books, rulers, pens, sanitisers, chalk, and flip files among others.
Anne Borman, manager at the learning centre, says they have 63 children from Grades 1 to 5 in their care.
She explains that the children come from disadvantaged backgrounds and often cannot afford basic items such as stationery.
“The children come from poor households, so we have a little shop here in Pringle Bay and all the proceeds are donated to the school. When they arrive here from school we provide them with a meal, then we start teaching them, so we don’t only help them with homework, we teach them as well.”
She says they rely on donations for and adds that the stationery is much needed and welcomed.
Borman explains that the donation will supply all the stationery needs for the year.
“We are so grateful. We supply the children with a once-off stationery pack at the beginning of the year. And we have noticed that when it comes to exam times, they don’t have anything left. But this year we will be able to supply them.”
