10 Worthy causes to donate to and help on Mandela Day

Mandela Day is today (18 July 2016) and if it has snuck up on you and you haven’t yet decided what to do Justmoney has come up with a quick list of companies and organisations that you can help out financially (or with your time) to help those less fortunate.

1. Discovery Vitality and Loot.co.za are teaming up to support Kids Haven. They will raise funds towards building a therapy centre to help the children’s mental wellbeing, as well as building an outdoor gym for the Orange Farm community. Visit Loot.co.za to donate any amount until 20 July 2016. Donate using your Discovery Miles, Discovery Card, by EFT or any credit card. As an added bonus, Discovery Vitality will match the total amount raised.
2. Natural pet food supplier, Vondis, is offering chicken at 20% off (including free delivery) when you buy for Border Collie Rescue Cape Town. The rescue organisation rehomes and rehabilitates between 80 - 100 Border collies per year. To contact Vondis, click here.
3. Join a Sweat (Specialised Weight Endurance Athletic Training) 1000 class. They have three studios – two in Cape Town in Sea Point and Claremont and one in BluBird in Johannesburg. All three are taking part in Mandela Day offering 67 minute work outs and there will be limited edition Mandela Day merchandise on sale. If you want to give more there is a donations box at each studio and all the proceeds will go to the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital. “It is a great way for people to not only contribute to their own lives by getting fit and active, but is also a unique way to donate funds to a great cause,” says Tarryn Ker a Sweat 1000 instructor. Click here to book their 67 minute class.
4. Miracle Kidz is a safe house for children aged one to ten and they have a goal to reach R67, 000 to fund the children and babies that live at the Cape Town based organisation. They say that if 1,000 people were to donate R67 they can reach their goal of R67, 000. Simply donate by transferring money to their account: Account name: Miracle Kidz; FNB Business Account; Account number: 62504599103; Branch code: 200409. Don’t forget to include a reference with your name.
5. Sponsor Boss Dog Food are looking for 67 teams to paint 67 kennels with The Dog Box Project on the 23 July at Tyger Valley Shopping Centre in Cape Town. Click here to register.
6. Today the Haven Night Shelter in Alexander Road in Cape Town are looking for people to join them to help make soups and sandwiches for the homeless. Go to 4 Alexander Road, Cape Town to help out or click here for more information.
7. Visitors to the V&A Waterfront’s Watershed can participate in a Relate Bracelets public beading session from 9am today onwards. Relate bracelets are handmade and sold to help invest in credible causes and social upliftment initiatives. For more about the event, visit the V&A’s Facebook page.
8. Johannesburg based organisation, The Kidney Beanz Trust, are collecting blankets for children suffering from life-threatening kidney disease. The blankets will be distributed at the renal unit at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital. Go to 5 Jubilee Road, Johannesburg, South Africa to donate the blankets, for more information, visit their Facebook page.
9. Nature lovers can partake in the Mandela Day Full Moon Beach Walk and cleanup in Cape Town. Join in the fun at Big Bay/Eden on the Bay and do a 67 minute stroll along the sand from 18:00 till 19:00, picking up litter along the way. Walkers must meet at the wooden walkway opposite Moyo. Bring along the whole family including your fur children. There’s no fee to take part but attendees should bring a donation for the Do One Thing (DOT) box. For more information, click here.
10. Buy the Big Issue magazine. If you don’t already know about it, the Big Issue is a socially responsible non-profit organisation that enables willing unemployed and marginalised adults to make money through selling magazines. Vendors buy each copy for R12.50 and sell the magazines for R25. Look out for a local vendor near you – they aren’t that hard to find! For more information, click here.

For more ideas and inspiration about what to do on Mandela Day visit the official website here.