The AfriCan Link Fund was established at Wesley United Church following the attendance of Mary Weismiller at the Ecumenical Decade for Women Conference in Durban, South Africa in 1992. It was there that Mary met the Light family. Since that time, she and Edna Light have spent well over two years in accumulated visits to each other's homes; much of it in Plettenberg Bay. Edna's endless struggle to feed, teach and help the area's disadvantaged sparked the creation of the fund.
Over the years, Edna has faithfully shared her gifts, talents and resources with many positive results, not the least of which is the creation of the soup kitchens which serve well over 1,000 meals of soup and bread daily. Wesley United has been a supporter since the beginning and in 2008 welcomed Craig Travel and its clients to share in this opportunity to give. The experience of seeing both the "trouble and the beauty" of South Africa is one that won't easily be forgotten. The sharing of a meal in a South African home and the first hand opportunity to learn more about the culture from those who live it, is a life changing experience.
The generosity of David Craig, Craig Travel staff and its clients have meant thousands of dollars to buy nutritious soup powder and bread for the squatter communities. While most government support to Plettenberg social services agencies has been suspended and many other contributors have opted out because of the economic downturn, your continued donations and those of Wesley United Church have enabled the AfriCan Link Fund to deposit $10,000 into the Soup Kitchen account in time for Christmas. This makes the 2012 total, $18,500.00. A sincere thank you to all donors for your commitment and generosity to this worthwhile cause.
The next opportunity to financially assist will be in the early spring of 2013. A tax receipt for donations will be issued by Wesley United Church and David Craig will match every first time donation up to $100 per donation for clients travelling with us and visiting the soup kitchen in South Africa. Donation cheques may be mailed to Mary Weismiller, 6 Burnside Drive, Glen Morris, Ontario N0B 1W0. Donations should be made out to Wesley United Church, AfriCan Link Fund. Please indicate if you are a Craig Travel client.
