Staff knit blankets for charity

Some children at the Erica Children and Youth Care facility in Hillside, Port Elizabeth have the option of a few extra blankets tonight after caring staff from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s North End Library spearheaded the knitting and the subsequent handover of blankets to the provincial government facility.

Assistant Librarian Gillian Burgess said they started knitting one blanket in July for Mandela Month with the intention of making a difference in one person’s life but the project gained momentum with donations of wool and other resources from members of a knitting club linked to the library.

They ended up with six beautiful brightly coloured blankets after a few months of hard work.

“As staff we’re happy that we can contribute resources to Erica Children and Youth Care centre. Being able to help just warms my heart,” Burgess said.

Two of the blankets has approximately 60 squares and are ideal for the larger kids and the other four – with approximately 40 squares – will now warm the hearts and little bodies of the smaller children.

Veronica Lewis, a representative from Erica Child and Youth Care was thrilled to receive the blankets.

“The children are going to love them and it will make a difference as we always have a huge shortage of blankets. We house about 100 children with ages ranging from one day old to eighteen years. Some of them are HIV positive.

“Hence we really appreciate this and our kids are always happy to receive gifts. Again I thank the municipality for the contribution,” Lewis said.

Erica House and Youth Care Centre received the nod as the beneficiary when one of the staff members heard their plea for assistance on a local radio station.