Deciding to use his birthday to give others gifts of goodness, a community hero signed off on ‘Mission Party Pack’ and gifted hundreds of veggie party packs for kids in need and their families.
Johannesburg, South Africa (19 June, 2023) — Recently, Stephan Fereira made a unique request that had the internet wondering if he’d confused his grocery roster with his birthday wishlist. No mistake had been made; Stephan was on a mission to rally as many vegetables as possible in an effort to make his birthday an occasion where he could share these gifts with others.
From his dedicated experience to helping children in need as Charity Begins With Me’s founder, Stephan knew first-hand how much of a difference simple grocery items can make to households that often make do without them.
On his wishlist were potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, gem squash and onions; a one-of-a-kind birthday list in the sea of requests for new tech and fresh sneakers many privileged people are accustomed to associating with birthday goals.
The mission was to create 600 party packs made up of practical ingredients so that Stephan’s unofficial family—the kids he helps feed, educate and empower—could take them home to share with their own families.
Mission Party Pack Was a Success!
Over the weekend, Stephan signed off on mission party pack, sharing that over 600kgs of vegetables and some fruit had poured in from people all over South Africa who rallied behind his birthday wish.
A simple request — ‘Please buy me a potato for my birthday’—transformed into more than a celebration of Stephan’s birthday. As the little ones held their veggie packs, many locals realised the bigger celebration here was of community impact—something CBWM magnifies weekly.
Especially as we gear up for Mandela Day, stories of collective goodness going a long way become springboards of inspiration that we can all take notes from; especially when we fall into the trap of thinking a little can’t do a lot. People like Stephan and so many other heroes whose stories we share remind us each and every day that a lot comes from a little, and ‘a little’ is usually a lot bigger than we think it is.
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