MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Executive Mayor of Mossel Bay, Alderman Harry Levendal on Wednesday morning approved a recommendation that Mossel Bay Municipality will provide food parcel support to qualifying residents infected and affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus and their families who do not have the means to support themselves during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Alderman Levendal approved that funding is made available from the Mayoral Relief Fund.

However, considering the need for relief measures in our community, the mayor appealed to residents to contribute towards the relief effort also.

Mossel Bay Municipality is bound by the qualifying criteria as supplied by the department of social services, namely:

• that at least one member of the beneficiary family must have been infected or have been tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus and be restricted to isolation at home; or
• a household where a member of the family who tested positive for the virus have insufficient means to sustain themselves during the lockdown period; or
• a person who requires medication or who suffers from a chronic illness and have insufficient means to sustain themselves and was assessed and referred by a local doctor or clinic in the greater Mossel Bay area or a registered health practitioner; or
• person and their household who have insufficient means to sustain themselves during the lockdown period who was referred by a registered humanitarian relief agency or registered NPO or the Mossel Bay Municipality. In this instance, only persons not yet in receipt of SASSA grants, including the elderly and child-headed households. Grant awaiting beneficiaries will be able to qualify.

Mossel Bay Municipality has approached local food retailers to support this relief effort by supplying the food parcels that will match the government's list of supplies and are deemed to be a sufficient supply of basic foodstuffs for one month. Retailers were requested to indicate the availability of supplies to support the relief effort.

This relief effort is intended to supply immediate relief to qualifying beneficiary families until supplies from the national relief effort are available in Mossel Bay also.

We need your support
The municipality is compiling a database that will be integrated with that of the department of social services to prevent any possibility that beneficiary families receive support from both relief efforts.

Families in urgent need of food relief and who meet the requirements are therefore required to contact the municipality urgently by either calling 044 606 5118 between 08:00 and 20:00 or by registering on the municipal dedicated website at https://arcg.is/jPqW1 

"I urge our community to support the relief programme by making donations towards the Mayoral Fund. Mossel Bay has always rallied around when support is needed. Now, support is needed for our people who have fallen on difficult times due to no fault of their own.

"People, due to the lockdown, have no way of supporting themselves. I urge you to find it in your hearts to make a difference in the lives of people who do not know where their next meal will come from and who are not allowed to find a means to support themselves. Mossel Bay now needs your support more than ever," Alderman Levendal said.

Electronic fund transfers can be made to Nedbank Mossel Bay, Mossel Bay Municipality, Account 1134644809, Branch code 198765, reference: 000010022670.

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