WHILE his name might conjure up the image of a nightmarish character from some of the cheesiest movies of the 80s, Freddie Kruger is a hero to many families in the greater Queensburgh area.
The Queensburgh News recently caught up with him to find out more about the man behind the meals.
ALSO READ: The curious story of a miracle chicken meal: Feeding the hungry in Bellair
For 14 months Feddie has been helping families in the Bellair and Seaview communities.
The recent Covid-19 lockdown took things up a notch and prompted he and his family to begin a soup kitchen which now that he has returned to work, continues with the help of his wife and daughter on weekends only.
What is your background in this community in which you seem so dedicated?
I’ve lived in the Queensburgh area most of my life. It hurt me so much to see so many of the people in my community suffering during lockdown.
Please tell me about the NPO you are busy forming and registering?
We are in the process of registering as NPO/NPC and its called Saving our PPL (people). We aim to assist those in need of the basic things in life like food, clothing, shoes or even furniture if all was lost due to a disaster.
What is your “regular”‘ job?
Starting the feeding in Bellair was extremely hard work with so much we had to keep in mind and remember, but eventually I had to return to my work as a construction foreman.
At that point I handed over the feeding responsibilities to the team who assisted from the beginning. As with any handover there are some problems that had to be sorted out initially, but they seem to be getting better.
We did receive some complaints from people about the quality of food reducing, but I am sure that it will improve as the new team members gain experience. The important thing is the hungry get fed everyday.
As for now my wife, Amy, and I are making up food parcels every evening and delivering to the people who are not able to go stand in that long queue.
We feel this is helpful in retaining some dignity to the people as it is less embarrassing for them.
Where do the donations come from?
We are aiming to obtain a food truck where we will sell food in the morning and then use the profits to feed the hungry in the afternoon on a daily basis. That way we will not be so reliant on sponsor’s donations.
At the moment though, we currently have many sponsors willing to donate from different areas. We put it all together to make up parcels which we then deliver to the people who need it most.
Right now, with the pandemic the need is greater than our ability to collect but with a bit of faith this will come right.
Was there a single defining which caused you to spring into action?
We had no idea what we were in for at first. Amy and I went to the shop to buy bread four days into lockdown. At that time the shop owner had been throwing out the stale bread outside the shop.
I noticed how the people ran towards it and started fighting over pieces of bread.
It was heartbreaking so we went home and made soup in an urn we bought bread to add to it and then gave it to the people to eat.
If you could ask people to do one small thing what would it be?
One person cannot help everyone but everyone can help one person and if we all do this then poor people won’t suffer so much and our communities will have less petty crime as well as a better understanding of each other.
If every person picked up 5 extra items in their regular grocery what items would you find most useful?
The most useful ones would be canned food, oil, rice and soya mince, soap, toothpaste and toilet paper.
Had you any idea how much of a huge task this would grow into?
It started with 16 people and within two days, grew to 25. Within a week we had 70 people arriving and after three weeks there were more than 100. Just before I went back to work, there were over 200 people arriving most days.
Since going back to work, Freddie said while he is no longer helping with the daily soup kitchen, he still runs feedings with his usual team on weekends.
Reaching out
In addition to the feeding and parcels.
Freddie is always happy to reach out to help when he hears of a situation which needs special care.
In the last edition of the Queensburgh News, we ran a story about a home in Seaview where a grandmother was fending for nine grandchildren, reliant on only one basic income.
After contacting our reporter to get the family’s details, Freddie delivered some groceries to the delighted family one evening.
He also came to the aid of a woman in Escombe who had been caring for her neighbours since the beginning of lockdown but had run out of resources to continue.
The Whatsapp messages flew back and forth and before the end of the day the Queensburgh News had been sent news that the lady was given a delivery of food so she could keep helping her neighbours.Freddie said all his work is made possible through contributions.
“Anyone willing to donate please contact me on 067 677 7158,” he said.
He also said he felt he wanted to mention that all the work he has done would not have been possible without the kindness and generosity of his sponsors, KZN Valley Dogs, Nation Changers, Heart on Hand food bank and The Robin Hood Foundation.
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