KENNETH Gardens soup kitchen, Carrots and Peas, recently celebrated its 10 anniversary.
The kitchen, which is run by Zandile Ntaka and Maggie Khwela, feeds residents and the homeless three days a week, having served a total of 93 749 plates from January to August this year.
Speaking about the past 10 years, Zandile said it had been an exciting journey.
“We have been on TV on a Christian channel and have been featured in different media. We have had our trials, such as break-ins and theft, but these have only made us stronger and wiser. We have handled the difficult situations and triumphed, and on a positive side, we have been overwhelmed at how people came on board to support us,” she said.
She said the soup kitchen started with only the money from their pockets, and a strong faith in God’s provision.
“We had nothing at the time, we were just holding onto God. Then with people coming on board, it became a journey worth taking. We started feeding once a week, then increased it to two, and now it is three days a week, and we have food every day to cook. Willies Mchunu’s wife was one of the founders. There were times when we had no gas, and we would take pots to her house to cook and then load them in the car and take food to Flamingo Court. We have lost people along the way who used to help us, like Mrs Mchunu, and Joyce Gunkel who has now retired,” she said.
Zandile said the kitchen serves lunch and some people take some food for supper, while others eat a big meal at lunch to tide them over to the next day.
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“We have now introduced morning tea, a cup of something to drink and bread, especially for people who are on medication or who are sickly, as we found people who are on strong medication need to take this with something in their stomachs, and have ended up stopping their medication as they have no food to eat,” she said, adding that people who have defaulted on their medication have now started taking it again, and have gained their health.
Zandile said they had received a lot of support and made friends along the way. The kitchen receives a donation of 20 loaves of bread a week, Chubb, now known as National, provide security, different individuals, schools, churches, and Dirk’s Butchery donate every month, and every year there is someone interested in going through to volunteer in the kitchen, as it is known overseas more than it is locally.
Last month, Feona D Cairn, a former community development worker from the UK, decided to pack in her job and travel, while doing volunteer work. She said she heard about Carrots and Peas after volunteering at the Denis Hurley Centre and decided to work at the kitchen for two weeks.
“I wish I could stay longer! These are amazing women who do incredible work. They exemplify the saying ‘punch above your weight’ as they really go beyond their means to feed so many. I have been inspired and honoured to be here,” she said.
Zandile said the kitchen didn’t have a big funder, but that it was growing through the support of the community, as the numbers of people fed there was growing.
“It is not about us, it is about the people of Durban who enable us to stand. We are so grateful to them and to God, who is in the centre of it all,” said Zandile.
To help with donations, contact Zandile on 073 987 2980 or Maggie on 071 475 5468.
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