We recently put out the call to Twitter to nominate some interesting and inspiring women who we could recognise and profile for the WSA. Understandably, there was a flood of responses - and one of the earliest was Sam Parrish. Sam initially stood out because of the moving message we received from her nominee - but after getting the chance to speak with her, it's clear that her vibrancy and complexity go far beyond her initial charm. You can see for yourself as we tuck into what makes Sam tick, what she's working on at the moment and how she stays sane in an increasingly chaotic world.
Who is Sam Parrish?
We asked Sam to tell us a little bit about herself but it was quickly clear that her current purpose is closely linked to her work, her relationships and the key role she plays in fundraising and altruistic pursuits.
"I work full-time as a digital account manager in advertising and part-time as a volunteer and fundraiser for One Small Act of Kindness. So basically, I head up the fundraising side of things for them".
From speaking to Sam, you can tell there's a genuine care in what she does, and a desire to healthily address the challenges facing South Africa today. In terms of inspirational women over the course of her life and where she gained these traits, Sam was quick to mention her mom.
"I learned a lot from my own mom, she always made me look at how someone else was feeling. She turned things on their head to create empathy. That I’ve always carried with me. To always look at the other side of things and she always reminded me to be kind", says Sam.
Then we got down to the hard questions. Thanks to Sam for her frank but thoughtful answers!
WSA: So, in a world where people want to be kind and help out, how do they do that practically and without letting fatigue take over? How do you cope?
"The main thing for me is that in the beginning I wasn’t coping with it. I pretended I was fine but never took the time to give myself some head space so I’ve created a routine in that certain hours are work, and certain days are for these situations - and I divide my time up.
If people are feeling like it's too much, the main thing is finding a group or reputable charity that you can help through so that your number isn’t given out. Reach out to a charity who deals with a project you're passionate about and help them funnel their efforts in the right places.
Our founder (One Small Act of Kindness) is really good at reminding us there’s only so much you can do. You need to look after yourself and that’s the main thing. You cannot fix what’s happening but if someone can make a small difference in one person’s life. Imagine everyone who had extra could help - that would be massive".
WSA: this is incredible, considering the plethora of projects you're already working on. Could you tell a bit more about those?
Shelters and sustainable work: At the moment our main focus is on a lot of Covid relief, so we’ve got a homeless shelter for 30 men. It’s run at a church in Fontainebleau area and that’s a full time skills development place for them. It’s based around sending these men out to do peace jobs, gardening painting building and handyman work. We try and keep them busy and they help us with creating and sending food parcels to the townships - with packing and distributing predominantly. We want to put a plan in place for after lockdown is lifted, as we don’t want them to be stuck so we want to give them some kind of plan to reintegrate and find their way.
Keeping donations and support up: This is huge and money-wise it’s a massive commitment from our side. At the beginning of lockdown we were inundated with support and now that people have realised it’s a long-term thing, some of that support has dwindled, which is scary for us. We are so grateful to anyone who has helped in any capacity - but even your ad-hoc donations can make a difference going forward.
On a weekly basis, we run a soup kitchen which is how we met these people through the feeding scheme. It is is all donation driven and volunteer based. The police are not thrilled with us but we've had to do what we can within the bounds of lockdown.
Joburg Gen Care Packages: We’ve just done a massive drive for Joburg Gen’s trauma ward, for children with illnesses not related to Covid, as they are not allowed to stay with their parents. So kids from newborn to 12 are being left at the hospital so we’ve done care packs for them with toiletries and blankets and clothes. We managed to do 400 packs for them.
I recently spoke on 947 and 702. We put a post on our page and got a lot of support. A lot of people helped. Because of the Covid situation we had to do a cut off from collections, we had to hold it for 48 hours and then we had to pack everything for 48 hours to stop the spread, so these precautions also create complexities.
What kind of projects are you working on next?
At the moment the founder of One Small Act of Kindness runs a foster home, so funding there is a massive issue for us. Electricity, grocery bills, education, uniforms etc. need addressing so we are coming up with a plan to get people to fund that on a monthly basis.
Then Bundles of Love is putting care packs together for expectant parents. So many people have lost their jobs but many people are still pregnant but haven't got what they need. So we’re putting together nappies, toiletries and a few outfits to distribute. They find us so we have a list of moms in waiting. When we started doing food hampers, then they gave our number to this person and within the next 24 hours I had 400 messages asking for help - so there is never a shortage of people to serve.
And now, for a contentious but important one: Do you consider yourself a feminist and what does that mean for you?
I do. For me, I’ve always challenged the notion of what a feminist is in my eyes but the main thing for me at the moment is women supporting women and not necessarily bashing or trying to be better than men. Coming together to be there and to celebrate. Being there as a support system. I would probably not be considered a traditional feminist but I think there’s so much more to being a feminist in the support you can give.
Why do you think you were nominated for our femme focus?
A lot of the places I share my posts and stories have a lot of traction. One Small Act of Kindness has 18000 followers, for example. The other side of it is that I’m quite actively involved in community groups and a lot of communities have come to know my name as a result of that.
[While we appreciate Sam’s humbleness and logical approach to things: Here is an excerpt from the message her nominee sent, for your information;]
“Hi there. Here’s my nomination RE: your tweet. Sam Parrish. Over the years she has been getting more and more involved with charity and outreach programs and has done a load of good this year, even in the midst of a death in the family. She also openly challenges racial biases and is a general kick-ass person. She was recently on 94.7 and 702 speaking about the work she is involved in during this Covid period.”
Sam, lastly, what would you most like to see change in our country and how do you think we can do it?
I think the main thing is for people to just how kindness - so that doesn't have to mean giving the clothes off your back or inviting someone to live with you. Not all of us that can do that. Show some humanity, try and see other people's perspectives. There’s so much negativity and just being kind and acknowledging that we are together helps. If you are constantly belittling and attacking we won't get anywhere. We could use so much more kindness. Cut your takeaways and buy someone a R100 food voucher. There are so many small ways to have an impact.
If you want to find out more about Sam's work you can view the One Small Act of kindness Facebook page - or contact the WSA to donate and help us support women like Sam, and initiatives like these, all over the country. Even a simple like can help us reach more people.
Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for next month's femme focus profile.
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