Durban North churches break bread with the homeless
About 500 sandwich packs are collected each week from Durban North Methodist Church and two other Methodist churches in the area.
EMERGENCY shelters set up to house thousands of homeless people during the lockdown are continuing to feed society’s most vulnerable members as restrictions ease. Members of various Methodist Church congregations in the north Durban area are making 500 sandwich packs each week, to support the cause.
The initiative started in June, said Reverend, Brenda Timmer from Durban North Methodist Church.
“It’s quite a commitment and many of our members are pensioners. We put out the word asking if we should re-evaluate in September and people came back saying they were committed. Some commit to one loaf or two loaves each week. Every Wednesday morning, people bring in their loaves of bread, pre made into peanut butter sandwiches, and they are delivered to the Denis Hurley Centre,” she added.
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Director of the Denis Hurley Centre, Raymond Perrier said: “It’s wonderful that churches outside the CBD are engaging with the work of the Denis Hurley Centre not just in Durban North but in Musgrave. A range of denominations are assisting. We feed 500 people everyday. Our target is to provide hot lunches and the sandwiches allow us to give people a take away meal for supper.”
About 500 sandwich packs are collected each week from Durban North Methodist Church and two other Methodist churches in the area.
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“There are four sandwiches in each pack. It’s not just this community that pitch in, the Greenwood Park Methodist Church members help as well as Trinity Methodist Church in La Lucia. There are also people from the broader community that contribute,” said Timmer.
The sandwiches are delivered to the Denis Hurley Centre which hands out sandwiches for supper when they dish up hot meals for lunch, explained Timmer.
“In the first lockdown, the Denis Hurley Centre participated in the establishment of the various shelters. As lockdown lifted, they began to feed people. They put out the word that they were looking for help. This congregation is too small to take on feeding 500- 1000 people for a cooked main meal, but the centre give out sandwiches for the evening meal, so we asked our congregation if they could help,” she said.
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