Cape Town – Volunteer run soup kitchen Ladles of Love is feeding an estimated 1 000 homeless in Cape Town’s CBD during South Africa's 21-day lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19.
However the organisation is in dire need of as many monetary and non-perishable goods donations as possible, says Ladles of Love founder Danny Diliberto.
Diliberto says they need to muster as much support as possible so that the team of volunteers can cook and provide around 2,000 nutritious meals a day (breakfast and lunch), to at least 1,000 people in the CBD’s coronavirus lockdown shelters.
“We have committed with the city to assist the homeless with food for their temporary shelters they are erecting in the CBD and therefore ongoing donations are key during this challenging time.”
He says: “We will definitely be supporting these sites with two meals daily and if another site becomes available in the CBD we will do our best to support this as well, depending on monetary and food donations.
“We are focusing on working with The Haven Night Shelters in Green Point and District Six, as well as the Culemborg Safe Space to help serve the guys still wandering the streets and I have been trying to direct them there as much as possible so that we can feed as many as possible.”
With the huge amount of food needed during this challenging time, donations are key. “We are now serving 2,000 hearty meals a day to our most vulnerable members of our community to keep them nourished during the lock-down,” he says. “At R10 a meal it sums up to R20,000 per day. This is not possible without support from the public.”
He adds that other than monetary donations, which help with bulk buying ingredients, other ongoing donations of non-perishable food items, as well as a continuous stream of vegetables and bottled water are needed daily.
“We are also working on getting people in lockdown at home to help by, for example, making pots of soup and hundreds of sandwiches, that can be collected by our Ladles of Love volunteer team and distributed to those in need,” Diliberto explains.
He continues: “We are also in discussions with potential partners regarding possible distribution of food that could go to waste to other areas outside the city, although we realize one of the challenges here will be fuel costs.”
“To those that have already generously donated I would like to say a huge thank you for all your donations. This generosity has allowed us to continue our efforts in making a difference in the community during this difficult period and we appreciate your kindness.”
He points out that it is imperative that the public are aware that this is not a once off thing (like say Mandela Day), but an ongoing crisis that will need to be supported over the next coming weeks as he truly believe the virus will take a lot longer than 21 days to overcome.
“To give you some perspective on the sheer scale-up of our operations we are currently facing, we usually serve 12,000 hot meals a month (averaging 400 meals a day) to the homeless, as well as running several school feeding schemes,” he explains.
Diliberto, adds: “Our soup kitchens cannot stop feeding the homeless and disadvantaged during the lockdown. We still need to offer nourishing food to the most vulnerable members of our community. They need our help and your help more than ever.”
He continues: “Gender, religion, culture and colour all fall away and we become human beings.”
Ladles of Love refer to their work as Seva, which is a beautiful Sanskrit word that refers to the art of selfless service. When you give of yourself wanting nothing in return Diliberto says you become a Seva warrior.
The public can get involved during this challenging time either by joining the team as a volunteer, donating, sponsoring, or becoming a partner.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Visit the Ladles of Love Facebook page or go to https://www.ladlesoflove.org.za for more information.
It only costs R10 to provide a healthy meal to someone in real need so even a small donation will make a big difference.
There are two ways to donate:
Make your donations now via @PayFast https://www.payfast.co.za/donate/go/ladlesoflove
Or Via EFT
Name: Ladles of Love Foundation
Bank: FNB
Account number: 627 226 24013
Branch code: 201511
Ref: your name/COVID
POP: [email protected]
Those that would like to discuss corporate donations can contact Bernard Stern on 083 601-2441.
Those that would like to get involved as part of the remote volunteer team to make sandwiches or soup that will be collected by Ladles of Love, can speak to Samara Stern on 076 064 3694.
* If you are an NGO, NPO or charity organisation helping others during the coronavirus pandemic, please send details to [email protected] so that we can help you raise awareness.