SoupsRus to feed the community of Blackheath
WINDSOR WEST – This duo has teamed up to help the community.
Determined to make a difference in their community, Justin David and Belinda Marais have teamed up to start a soup kitchen.
Both share a passion to help people in need and decided to focus their attention on their immediate surroundings.
The soup kitchen will be on the first Saturday of every month at the Heathway Centre in Blackheath and the duo is encouraging the community to be a part of the initiative.
“In Windsor, for example, it’s devastating to see how people live so in our personal capacity, we are just trying to give back to those less fortunate and that is how the idea of the soup kitchen came about.
We have been granted use of the centre which we are grateful for so if there are people in need in the community, we will hand them a bowl of soup and some bread.
There are no terms and conditions, one just has to come to the centre,” said David.
His comments were echoed by Marais who added they also welcome volunteers from the community who want to lend a helping hand in the soup kitchen.
“We do all these great initiatives for other areas but what do we do for the people in our own community? How nice would it be to help your neighbour and show neighbourly love? That’s what SoupsRus is for. We also welcome community members who want to volunteer and assist us,” said Marais.
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Although this is the first time David and Marais have taken action to start an initiative to help those who cannot even afford a meal, they are determined to succeed and make their community a better place.
“We are still in our infancy stage and we are learning as we grow and encounter different situations. For us, it’s going big or going home because we want this initiative to be a success.
It’s not about us, it’s about doing something for someone else and giving back to our community.
This is the best way we know how but we will evolve and learn and make mistakes. We are doing this and action speaks louder than words so we want to give back. It may be a small gesture but it’s a start for us,” said David.
The duo’s goal is to build a community and create a culture of giving and sharing. They want to interact with the less fortunate in the community and connect with them on a human level.
“The person looking at you at a traffic light is a human being with feelings. So a soup kitchen is a more personal gesture and a chance to interact with those in need, giving a sense of community and belonging. A lot of people speak about doing something for the community and never do,” said Marais.
If the community wants to donate or volunteer at the soup kitchen, contact soupsrus.org@gmail.com
