Students from Stellenbosch University’s (SU) medical campus are assisting with the distribution of care packages, called love boxes, to cancer patients.
The ‘paying it forward’ student initiative, which began on 6 May, is intended to fast track the distribution of care packages that were donated to Zonny’s Love Box Project, a local non-profit organisation, according to Elwyn Hansby-Consul, ambassador of the Zonny’s Love Box Project.
Medical students from Stellenbosch University’s Tygerberg Campus deliver care packages to Anthea Lewis, coordinator of Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) Western Cape at the Cancer Association of South Africa Care Home in Tygerberg, for distribution to patients. Left to right: Munesa Dzimiri, Ayanda Rintsana, Gregory Smith, Anthea Lewis, Leanka Lombard and Caryn Rudolph. PHOTO: Supplied/Ayanda Rintsana
Zonny’s Love Box Project focuses on raising funds and collecting various products to support cancer patients undergoing treatment, said Hansby-Consul. The project collects the care packages as a continuation of the work of the late Zondelia (Zonny) Lombard-Swartz, who started the love box project in 2014 following her breast cancer diagnosis, according to professor Karin Baatjes, associate professor in surgery at the Tygerberg Hospital.
The current initiative is a collaboration between Zonny’s Love Box Project and the Tygerberg Pantry Project (TPP), a student-run outreach initiative that provides food and toiletries to the students on SU Tygerberg Campus, according to Baatjes.
“We collected more than 400 love boxes in addition to the funds that we raised last year,” said Hansby-Consul. “There are still a number of boxes in our possession and we wanted these to be distributed as soon as possible, and that is where the TPP came in,” she added.
Elwyn Hansby-Consul, champion and ambassador of Zonny’s Love Box Project, explains how the project was able to continue gathering donations of love boxes during the pandemic.
The care packages that are currently being distributed were initially donated to the Zonny’s Love Box Project in October 2020, as part of their annual fundraising and love box collection event. However, the care packages could not be distributed at that time, as there was a decline in the number of cancer patients in hospitals due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, according to Hansby-Consul.
“On the first day [of distributing care packages] we had about 25 people volunteer,” said Ayanda Rintsana, a member of the TPP leadership committee. Students who are not members of the TPP have also volunteered to assist with distributing the care packages, said Baatjes.
Each love box is specifically curated, with contents that cater to the patients needs while they are undergoing treatment. INFOGRAPHIC: Sibulela Bolarinwa
Usually, the care packages would only be distributed at Tygerberg hospital and the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) Care Home in Tygerberg, according to Hansby-Consul. However, due to the large number of care packages that have been donated, they are also being distributed to patients in Eersteriver, Khayelitsha and Paarl hospitals, said Hansby-Consul.
“The response [from patients] is always positive and very heartwarming,” said Rinstana.
“The greatest gift you can give a person is your time,” said Ayanda Rintsana, a member of the Tygerberg Pantry Project (TPP) leadership committee. The TPP organisation is currently assisting Zonny’s Love Box Project, a local non-profit organisation, to distribute care packages to cancer patients. PHOTO: Supplied/Elwyn Hansby-Consul
Rinstana explained that TPP distributes the care packages provided by Zonny’s Love Box Project twice a week. The student organisation hopes to continue the initiative throughout the year, and potentially add to it by contributing more pantry items to distribute to cancer patients living at the CANSA Care Home, said Rinstana.
In 2020, Covid-19 prohibited Zonny’s Love Box Project from hosting their annual fundraising event to generate funds for the breast and endocrine clinic at Tygerberg hospital. Elwyn Hansby-Consul, champion and ambassador of Zonny’s Love Box Project, explains that through virtual initiatives and continued community support, funds were still donated to the cause.