THE Food for Life Pinetown branch recently celebrated a milestone of serving 300 000 meals to the disadvantaged community in the Upper Highway area.
The international feeding scheme started 50 years ago to alleviate hunger, with the Pinetown branch starting in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic by chairperson Rajendra Rajpaul and his wife, Indira. Four years later, the branch has been growing from strength to strength.
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Rajpaul said the branch started when they were inspired by a spiritual teacher, His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivendanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
“He saw, from his window, street children fighting for scraps of food with a dog on the street. He immediately told his students to prepare food and distribute it for free to everyone within a 10km radius of our centres worldwide.
“We distribute between 8 000 to 10 000 meals for free every month. A Saturday is usually characterised by an early start at 04:00 with several volunteers gathering at our home to aid in the preparation of nutritious meals. Great emphasis is taken to ensure that the meals reach the poorest of the poor,” he said.
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To celebrate this mammoth achievement, all donors and volunteers were invited to a celebration lunch, and they were entertained by songstress Ruby Rose.
The public is encouraged to get involved by volunteering their services or making donations in cash or kind to enable the team to spread its foothold. For more information, contact Food For Life on 076 762 9070.
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