Over the past several months, members of the public have donated a diverse array of clothing, which dedicated staff meticulously sorted and prepared for distribution. Donations also came from the library\u2019s own Knitting Club, run by staff and community members, whose handmade items added a personal touch of care and comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Athlone-2.png\")
On the day of the event, these essential items were distributed directly to individuals experiencing homelessness providing much-needed warmth and dignity to those facing the harsh realities of street life. In addition to clothing, attendees were offered sandwiches and hot beverages, including coffee and tea ensuring nourishment and comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A regular patron who often visits the library, and who witnessed the program while conversing with a staff member, remarked: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery donation, sandwich and cup of tea represents a small act of kindness that collectively makes a profound impact.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n What began as a small act of kindness has blossomed into a powerful movement. The gratitude expressed by recipients serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of this initiative. It offers hope, compassion and a sense of belonging to those who often feel overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Athlone Library hopes to inspire the community to continue donating, helping to build a stronger and more compassionate society. Together, through collective effort, we can effect meaningful change at our libraries. One coat, one meal and one warm beverage at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Philiswa Stokwe & Moeniba Fisher, <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Assistant Librarians at Athlone<\/strong> Library<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On 4 September 2025, the community of Athlone united to support individuals experiencing homelessness through the 2nd Homeless Support Program at Athlone Library. Building upon the success of the inaugural initiative, this quarter-long campaign has inspired generous contributions of gently used and new clothing from compassionate residents throughout the region. Over the past several months, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":24,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[26,82],"class_list":["post-1150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-december-2025","tag-athlone-library","tag-homeless-programmes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1150"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1399,"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1150\/revisions\/1399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelistener.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Athlone-3.png\")