About two weeks ago, Magdalena (Mags) van der Merwe, Sharlene Brown, Mona Baron, Caylene de Klerk, Elaine Scholtz, Ria Bosch, Lisa Bosch, David Johnson Elgeisha Goliath and Judy Thomas initiated a feeding scheme to assist those affected by the lockdown.
They are feeding children and a few adults on Saturday afternoons. On May 16, hundreds of people queued on the corner of Conradie and Esselen streets, with the volunteers spraying each person’s hands with sanitiser and ensuring that everybody was adhering to social distancing protocols while receiving food.
Van der Merwe explained they were able to hand out vetkoek and mince and a glass of cold drink to 300 people, thanks to the generosity of family and community members.
“We observed that many people in our community are suffering due to the lockdown, and leaders are giving residents false hope about food parcels. This is why we decided to help these people ourselves. Last week, we gave hundreds of people soup and bread. There was a high unemployment rate in Windmill Park before the lockdown and now it’s just getting worse,” the organiser said.
“What is making things more challenging is that most of the volunteers involved in the feeding scheme are unemployed. Therefore, we rely on contributions made by family members and other generous people from the community.”
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They are in need of any food items that will assist them in feeding hungry stomachs.
“At this stage, we just need food. We’re a team of capable women that can cook up a storm, but we need ingredients. Any food donation will be appreciated. We’re also in need of hand sanitisers and masks. We?ll also appreciate if somebody could also assist us in setting up a mobile kitchen in the future so that we can feed people on a daily basis,” van der Merwe said.
Furthermore, the group is appealing to the government and the area’s ward councillor to prioritise and assist Windmill Park.
The children thanked the volunteers for the food and a few of them also sang and danced to express their gratitude.
Anybody who can help them with donations may contact van der Merwe on 082 8614751 or David on 062 019 3943 or email davidjoh21@gmail.com.
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