Ministry, education, and mentoring – this was part of the order of the day at the 2024 Street Store experience, hosted in the City of Roses.
According to the project coordinator at the Doxa Deo Church in Bloemfontein, Marnélle Prinsloo, there were over 500 volunteers and 2400 shoppers who had the opportunity to shop for what they needed at no cost.
“We set up a shop for disadvantaged individuals so that they could have the opportunity to choose clothing for themselves. It’s the full shopping experience. Shoppers were greeted at the gate by our security team, taken to the hospitality area where they received something to eat and drink, then they were accompanied by an usher through the shop to help them pick clothing,” she explained.
Prinsloo also expressed her gratitude for the people who were involved. “We are so thankful for people’s generosity. We have received an abundance of clothing, we are so thankful for that. It is such a big blessing … it is amazing to see how people show up, how generous they are and how they are ready to love and serve. It is an honour for us to be part of it and to be able to facilitate a space where people can get involved and serve in the city.”
She added that there were sessions to teach women how to take care of their hygiene and how their menstrual cycle works. Prinsloo highlighted that training is very vital when volunteering for projects like the Street Store because many people want to volunteer but don’t always know how. The training helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page and equipped with the right tools.
“We do training with everyone that signs up. We go through the logistics of the day, share why we do it and we divide up the different areas we serve. How to engage with people is also important,” she said. The volunteers always come back with amazing stories to share, it usually is about how the Street Store changes their perspective on people and society and how it touches their hearts to make a difference in people’s lives.
“People from different socio-economic classes come together and spend time together. They share stories and then you realise that people are valuable, no matter where they come from or what happened to them,” she said.
Prinsloo said that they will start preparing for next year’s Street Store in September so that they can figure out if there would be more churches and people who would want to join the cause. The community is more than welcome to sponsor or donate more clothing during the year.
“We dream about more sustainable partnerships where we don’t just go into the community but have churches and organisations in the community that can also connect with the shoppers,” she concluded.
The 2024 Street Store took place earlier this month in Heidedal and Hamilton.
Gypseenia Lion
