Christmas is a time of giving, and Capetonians and local organisations have stepped up to the plate to make sure Cape Town poor - in shelters, those living on the streets and in poverty - don’t go hungry.
“When we are surrounded by holiday season abundance, it’s hard to imagine what it is like to worry about how to feed your family their next meal. Sadly, this is the stark reality for millions of people in South Africa as the hunger situation is a crisis,” said Ladles of Love’s founder Danny Diliberto.
Organisations such as Ladles of Love, The Hope Exchange, Mould Empower and Serve (MES), Siyazana Youth Development Forum (YDF) and other community-based NPOs will be rolling up their sleeves to ensure that those without the means will not go hungry.
Ladles of Love has partnered with The Hope Exchange to ensure that homeless people will receive a meal for a month through their #Feed5000 campaign, which began on December 12 and will run until January 15.
Ladles of Love will cook their Christmas lunch at its Roeland Street Dignity Kitchen which will be distributed the the day.
Diliberto, whose organisation also runs a soup kitchen three times a week at different points in the CBD, said fund-raising was their biggest challenge.
“The only challenge is fund-raising and the need for an income to keep doing the huge amount of work we do. As an organisation that grew exponentially during Covid-19, maintaining the fund-raising requirements is difficult, especially when food insecurity has been exacerbated during this time. Rising food costs and cost of living is also making the situation worse,” he said.
The Hope Exchange’s Marie Slundt said with the growing number of homeless people due to the harsh economic impact, lending a hand provides people dignity.
The organisation has set a target to provide more than 10 000 meals this holiday season.
“This is why #Feed5000 at The Hope Exchange is imperative for us. The modest midday meal we provide at this time is often the only food of the day for a homeless person,” said Slundt.
On the Cape Flats, the Siyazana YDF is spreading a message of love this holiday season.
“We will be hosting two lunches for our seniors in Lotus River and Khayelitsha as well as three Christmas lunches in Parkwood, Voslo informal settlement and Gugulethu,” said the founder and chief volunteer Ian Miller.
“We are hoping to reach 3 000 people at various sites where we will be distributing meals and sharing Christmas spirit with the less fortunate, reminding them that they matter and belong to our society. We all have had tough years and at Siyazana we understand that a holistic approach is needed to counter the poverty that our disadvantaged communities find themselves in.”
MES which runs three shelters in Durbanville, Bellville and Parow, has partnered with the Bellville Presbyterian Church to cater for homeless people at the ministry’s premises on the day.
Nondumiso Tofile, a social worker at MES, said they would hosting a seated lunch, with the group being entertained and brought closer to the God.
“We are happy to be able to host them and make them feel part of the family. These are people who usually feel as outcasts of their families, neglected and abandoned. We want them to feel special and know that being homeless must not be the end of their lives, but a part of their journey.”
U-Turn has committed to raising R1 million this festive season with their Provide Dignified Accommodation campaign to fund more programmes for the homeless.
“To get more people off the streets and equip them with skills to live a productive independent life, U-Turn is raising much-needed funds to open more safe spaces and transitional houses,” said U-Turn spokesperson Cathy Achilles.
Weekend Argus