A soup kitchen in a small garage in Tumahole, Parys, is currently providing meals to more than 128 children each week, and offering them extra-mural activities.
This non-profit organisation, known as the Stompie Seipei Soup Kitchen, is an Add Hope beneficiary that received R96 000 last week to continue giving nutritious meals to the ever-growing number of children who need support.
These children live in poverty, being either orphans or heads of their households, or have unemployed parents.
The history of the Stompie Seipei Soup Kitchen dates back to 2013 when a group of five women came together to feed 50 children a week. After receiving a Social Development grant a few months later, they were able to start feeding more children. Currently, the children receive one meal a day, three times a week. The aim is to feed them five times a week.
Volunteers at Stompie Seipei also offer after-school activities like football, traditional dances, gumboot dancing and drum majorettes.
‘Our feeding initiative provides much-needed food and care for children in our area. It contributes to keeping their minds and bodies healthy and their spirits up,’ says Salaminah Mamoitane who heads up the soup kitchen.
‘We also want to get musical instruments like drums as part of the after-school activities. Many of these children live in dire circumstances and, in some cases, don’t have school uniforms.’
The Add Hope initiative has grown to support sustainable feeding programmes across South Africa, partnering with 143 national and local organisations to provide more than 120 000 children, like those at Stompie Seipei, with daily meals.
‘Thanks to our customers, we have raised more than R492 million since 2009, feeding children and fostering their health and development,’ says Thabisa Mkhwanazi, the KFC corporate affairs director for Africa and an Add Hope champion.
“One in five children in South Africa is currently suffering from stunted growth and learning difficulties owing to hunger and malnutrition. The more money we raise, the more we can reach these kids and help them thrive.”
“We believe that good nutrition is the single most important factor in creating a better future for children like those at Stompie Seipei Soup Kitchen. When you add hope, you give each child so much more than just food, you give them a future,” he says.
About Add Hope:
Add Hope, is a powerful initiative that started in 2009 where KFC customers and staff unite in the fight against hunger. It has now reached the milestone of feeding over 120 000 children around the country nutritious meals, every day, through supporting sustainable feeding programmes at a growing list of beneficiary organisations.
Add Hope raises money through customer donations added at the till or on the Add Hope website, as well as donating a percentage of KFC profits as its own Corporate Social Responsibility contribution. Add Hope has raised just over R492 million to date
