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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - What do you do when most of your family members celebrate significant birthdays, but large celebrations are prohibited due to the Covid-19 lockdown regulations?

This was Donalda Bantom's dilemma.

She is one of the philanthropists in the Mossel Bay Covid-19 Donations, Supplies & Information group, who have been reaching out to the community.

Bantom’s mother (60), grandmother (80), and both her daughters celebrate their birthdays in May. When her grandmother, Jeanette, turned 80 on Mother’s Day, the family got a musician to serenade the octogenarian. In celebration of her daughter, Diandre’s 23rd birthday on Monday, 11 May, the initial plan was to eat out. “We ended up doing this anyway, but in a different way.”

Bantom, as part of the Covid-19 group, supplies 18 soup kitchens with ingredients daily. As part of the birthday celebrations, they handed out pasta, cupcakes and cooldrinks to the children at the soup kitchen on Monday, afternoon.

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“We plan to do the same for my youngest child, who turns sweet 16 on 23 May. We will celebrate her birthday at the soup kitchen.” Diandre owns a boutique, coffee shop and photo studio. On her part she donated R10 000 to the Covid-19 group in support of its relief effort.

"My mother Celeste lives in Brits, North West. We planned to celebrate the birthdays - 60, 80 and 16 - at one huge party, but lockdown made it impossible. Then we decided to rather invest where the need is."

Jeanette Bantom on her 80th birthday on Sunday. She was very upset about not being able to attend church to mark the special milestone.

Diandre Bantom celebrated her 23rd birthday at one of the soup kitchens where her mother, Donalda, offers support on a daily basis during the lockdown.

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