Scripture commands us to care for the poor, the destitute, the widows and orphans. We are also called to care for God’s creation. Harvest aims to instill, in the heart of each pupil, a desire to be a blessing and to help make this world a better place. This is done through each class serving a selected community project or organization.
Our Community Outreach is to SANCCOB. The way we do this is to collect money to adopt a penguin for the year. We receive a picture of the rescued penguin and all its details. If and when it is released, we are able to go and witness it.
Harvest pupils visit Heatherbank Pre-school once a term. The pupils collect items needed by the pre-school, sing songs and spend the morning playing with the children. The children really enjoy the opportunity to spend time and bless the members of our community.
The Grade 3’s go to Vistarus and spend time playing and interacting with the children in the crèche. Vistarus is a home for homeless families. Whenever we go, we try to take something that they really need for the children.
The Grade Fours have adopted Save A Pet as our missions’ outreach. The children love to visit the dogs at the shelter and to give them treats. They also play with any puppies which may be there, and enjoy weeding the garden. We collect bags and tins of dog and cat food to take with us when we visit.
The Grade 5 Harvest students have chosen Bethel Babes Educare Centre as their outreach which is located in the poorer Northern areas. The school was birthed in 2005 to educate and uplift the community of Helenvale. They are a Bible-based school that uses education to spread the gospel to their extended families. They are also a non-profit organisation who provide cooked meals and transport for the children. We visit once a term to read to and play with the children. At the end of the year, we aim to give donations of toiletries and stationery as well as financial contributions. Our hopes are for students to see how children less fortunate than themselves live and to be grateful for what they have, while realizing it is better to give than to receive.
Harvest pupils chose to support and bless the Kuyga Community Crèche for their mission’s project. The crèche is run on a voluntary basis by the two women from the local community who observed that many of the very young children in the area were being left all day without supervision or proper care whilst their parents went to work. They use the local community hall for this purpose. The Grade 6 students play with the children and provide small treats for them during each visit. They also collect and bless the children with toys, books, stationery items, cleaning materials and non-perishable ingredients to make soup.
Little Lambs Preschool is a NPO running from Harvest Kleinskool. The Grade 7 pupils play with the children and provide small treats for them during each visit. Harvest pupils collect and bless the children with toys, books, stationery items, cleaning materials and non-perishable ingredients to make soup.
Grade 7’s start their own gardens of faithfulness by Farming God’s way. After they plant their gardens, they sell the vegetables collected and give money to Little Lambs Pre-school or use it for their needs.
Keiskammahoek is a small rural town that is situated some forty kilometres to the west of King William’s Town in the Amahlathi Local Municipality, which is one of seven local municipalities that constitute the Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape. At the end of their 7 year journey at Harvest, the Grade 7’s go on a 4-day outreach to Keiskammahoek, where they serve the community and the Keiskammahoek Child and Youth Care Centre. It is an experience that is cherished by all and solidifies the foundation laid in the previous years. Children and teachers always return from this outreach having changed from within.