The Dundee Crisis Centre’s feeding scheme, that has won awards and was much-flaunted when the Endumeni Municipality won the Greenest Town Award some years ago, has been stopped due to ‘violence and theft’.
The scheme, whereby needy residents bring in bags of recyclable material in exchange for maas and yoghurt, fed up to 700 people every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the past eight years.
But it has not been smooth sailing. Carol Bradley of the Centre has had to fight a long-running battle with residents on Birkett Street who have complained about the queues of people waiting for food, accusing the mainly elderly people of urinating on the pavements, being loud and even gambling.
“This and the lack of clear support from the Council forced us to start feeding the people about 200 metres away in an open veld behind the graveyard. There is no security and three weeks ago we noticed that people who had received maas and yoghurt had secretly sold the products to people in waiting vehicles.
“When I confronted the culprits, my 18-year-old grandson who was with me was attacked and sent to the ground. Things became completely out of hand with people just grabbing stuff. Our suppliers, Orange Grove, wisely decided to withdraw the food before someone is seriously injured,” said Mrs Bradley.
Those who are completely reliant on the hand-outs are devastated. “So many will go hungry because of a few who did not want any discipline or control.”
However, not all is lost as Mrs Bradley is still encouraging people to bring in their recyclable paper, cardboard, tins etc. as Ashalia Scrap Metals is still supporting the scheme whereby the bags are weighed and money paid out every Friday to those bringing in material.
“Ashalia then pays us out. So at least the deserving people can have some money (we only payout on Fridays) to buy food.”
The Rotary Club has also been supportive of the scheme and earlier this year donated a screen to give the volunteers handing out the food some cover.
“When handed out the foodstuff from the Centre there was much better control as we have a security gate. There was never any violence. But because we were forced out, that control was no longer in place under the tree in the veld.”
Mrs Bradley said a meeting will be held on Friday to discuss the way forward for the feeding scheme to ensure that those who rely on it, still receive something.
