POLOKWANE – “This is my life and I don’t see myself doing anything else.”
These are the sentiments of Isabel van den Berg, the founder of the Polokwane Manna Project which helps 233 families with monthly food parcels.
The project which was founded in 1987 started with just one family, and Van den Berg explained that since the Covid-19 pandemic, this number has significantly increased.
The project is supported by local churches including N.G. Kerk Noordgemeente, N.G. Kerk Kremetart, NHK Hervormde Kerk Welgelegen and private donors.
They also work closely with Sent 2 Serve Ministries which serves as a middleman between the churches and the Polokwane Manna Project.
The parcels given to the families are not groceries for the month, but just a form of assistance in terms of their food challenges.
“We have far too many families to assist, that we simply cannot afford to provide groceries for an entire month,” she remarked. Helping people in need has always been close to her.
“In the beginning, I would incur these costs out of my own pocket, but back then things were different. We would give a bit of food here, and clothes there. When I buy my own groceries, I would buy for them too. Today, the need is so big that the food is delivered by a truck,” she said.
Melville Botha, the founder of Sent 2 Serve Ministries, said he has witnessed first-hand how Van den Berg cherishes this project.
“She knows every family by name, the number of children they have and their condition at home. It is a calling for her to do this,” he said.
The organisation, which is a beacon of hope for many impoverished families, is struggling to meet the needs of the families that they assist.
So dire is the situation that they have a waiting list of people in need of assistance, but they do not have the means to do so. “With the rising costs of food, we simply cannot provide for more families. We even had to reduce our parcel sizes to provide for the families that are already on our database.
“We desperately need more donors to get on board to assist us, so that we can assist more families in need.”
She has pleaded with potential donors to assist them with non-perishable food items and clothes so they can continue to make monthly donations.
Melville added that they believe in transparency and donors are given a SARS deductible receipt for every donation that is made. Donors can contact Melville at 076 359 4945.
