Gift of the Givers Provide Food Aid to 50 People Stranded on Bus, Kids Among Them

• 50 people, including children and an elderly man with diabetes, were recently stranded on a bus travelling to the Eastern Cape
• A post detailing their experience, as they had no food or water during the hours-long ordeal, was published on the Gift of the Givers Facebook page
• The response to the post on social media was overwhelming as South Africans doffed their hats to the foundation

A group of 50 people, including children and the elderly, one of whom has diabetes, were recently stranded on a bus travelling to the Eastern Cape.

It is unknown where the party were travelling from, but their transport broke down in an area less than 20 km outside Graaff-Reinet.

A post detailing their experience and the response by the non-profit organisation (NPO) Gift the of Givers was published on the @GiftoftheGivers Facebook page.

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"Mr Skota, a traffic officer, urgently requested our team's support after a bus had broken down 15 kilometres outside of Graaff-Reinet," the post started.

"The bus was carrying 50 passengers consisting of children and elders who had nothing to eat or drink, and no one knew how long the bus would be stuck as they waited for another bus from #Cofimvaba."

The foundation, which is the biggest disaster response NPO in Africa, said it responded to the call from the officer to assist the passengers by delivering food and other items.

Timing of assistance couldn't have been better

The elderly, diabetic man was fortunate to receive assistance as he desperately needed to take his medication after being idle for many hours while alternative transport was still on the way.

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"We responded by delivering KFC South Africa lunches, water, #Woolworths pretzels, #KitKat chocolates, #Nestlé cappuccino beverages, TFG-The Foschini Group blankets for the kids, and hand sanitiser.

"On behalf of everyone, an impaired elderly man thanked our team and the traffic department, stating that he is diabetic and had no water to take his tablets as they stood outside of town for a while. He said our assistance came to his rescue.

"Passengers on the bus said they will never forget the kindness and grace received from our team. We also served hot meals in the evening. Thankfully, help arrived soon after," the post ended.

According to information published on their website, the organisation has been responsible for delivering life-saving goods in more than 43 countries, collectively valued at some R3.2 billion, since its inception in 1992.

The response to the post on social media was overwhelming as South Africans doffed their hats to the foundation.

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Mzansi praises heroic intervention

Briefly News takes a look at the reactions to the post, which garnered more than 370 positive reactions.

@Charldin Wasserfall reacted:

"Thank you, Gift of the Givers. Your organisation is the world’s hero."

@Kathy Basson said:

"This team is beyond amazing!!!!"

@Annette du Plessis added:

"Wow, this is so amazing! Thank you, Gift of the Givers!"

Annemarie Anderson praised:

"Just wow. Like angels, you appear wherever there is a need. Thank you."

@Mzingaye Brilliant Xaba offered:

"This is amazing Gift of Givers. Thank you for touching many lives."

Gift of the Givers to the rescue, assists desperate hospital with water

In related news, Briefly News previously reported that the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital's staff and management approached Gift of the Givers for assistance with their water shortage.

The foundation stated that it delivered bottled water on 28 and 31 May and that their drilling teams have been granted permission to drill for water. The permission was granted by the hospital management and infrastructure team.

The hospital and the community surrounding it are in a crisis, said Gift of the Givers. On 19 May, water delivery to the hospital and the area around it was inexplicably shut down with no clear explanation provided by relevant water authorities.

Source: Briefly News