Helping to ensure the needy get their daily bread
“My question is what will happen once we no longer able to hand out this food daily"
It’s over 120 days since the country went into an unprecedented lockdown. A lot has happened since March 27. Coronavirus infections are rocketing – up to 13 000 new cases a day – and so is, tragically, the death rate.
At the beginning of March, Sarel Cilliers sports master, Dave van der Westhuizen, realised that the lockdown had pushed many already vulnerable families to the brink of starvation.
“Those who were lucky to have a job – even if they were not earning not much – found themselves at home. Charities that used to assist were also no longer able to – funds dried up. I saw so many people from all communities battling. It was so sad to see little kids desperate for a meal.”
With schools closed, Dave and a team of volunteers bandied together to deliver food (porridge, bread, juice and any other nutritious food that could be donated) to initially 170 people in Dundee and Glencoe. It was an arduous task – driving daily to the homes of those who were in a desperate situation and the list seemed to grow daily. Congregants from the Dundee Methodist Church and other churches supported the effort with donations even coming in from overseas.
“I could see that we were making a difference. The people would be waiting with their bowls for us to dish up the porridge. They knew at what time we would be stopping over.”
“The need is still very glaring. So many people have been left in dire straits. It is actually quite frightening to think what would have happened if so many generous people had not donated food? This was certainly a team effort and I happened to be just the delivery man, thanks to the Sarel Cilliers High minibus which the school has allowed to have been used for this community outreach.”
Others have been holed up in garages, outbuilding and even with their pet dogs as they struggle to eke out a living. “My question is what will happen once we no longer able to hand out this food daily? Many families are just living on a prayer and every day is a battle.
See the latest Courier, out on Thursday, July 23, for the full story
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