Soup kitchen brings warmth to hungry residents

HOPING to bring change into the lives of people, especially children who hail from poverty-stricken homes in Wentworth, the newly opened Abbaquar-San Dream Centre’s Soup Kitchen will be providing hot and nutritious meals to those in need.

Senior Cultural Chieftess Olivia Jones of the centre said they decided to open the soup kitchen following an educational programme with the youth last year.

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“During this programme, we spoke to the youth about staying away from social ills, such as gangsterism and substance abuse. Many had informed us that some of the reasons the youth turned to such activities was because of the hardships they faced at home, such as parents being unemployed and unable to provide meals.

“Some said they found it difficult to focus at school because of hunger, and they would get angry seeing others having lunch when they had not eaten for days. We know the hardships that our community is faced with and that unemployment is high. We could not sit back and let our children and community go hungry,” she said.

Jones said they reached out to Penny Appeal South Africa, a relief and development organisation, for assistance.

“They have assisted us previously with renovating the centre and instantly agreed. They brought all of the appliances, such as a stove, fridge, microwave and mixer, as well as pots and utensils. They also brought vegetables, and we were able to cook our first meals last Monday and Wednesday.

“We intend on cooking twice a week, however, we hope to increase our feedings to three times a week. While we have been given some assistance to start, we do need food donations and would greatly appreciate any help from those who are able to assist and keep our children fed,” she said.

Senior Chief Mervyn Damos of the centre said that along with the kitchen, they have started working on developing a vegetable garden.

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“We want to fulfil the saying, ‘From the garden, to the kitchen, to the community’. We have already planted a few fruit trees and turned the soil for the garden, but now we need some assistance so we can start planting. Apart from feeding our children, we are also keeping them off the streets. The children who have helped us so far in getting the garden ready are very excited to start planting and to take care of their vegetables. We want to teach them from a young age how to grow their own vegetables so they can learn and possibly be able to sustain their home and community in future,” he said.

If you would like to assist, contact Jones on 084 251 5740 or Damos on 073 562 9993. You can also drop off items at the centre (old Silvertree Hall), situated opposite 103 Silvertree Road in Wentworth.

The soup kitchen will be open on Mondays and Wednesdays, and meals will be served from 14:30.

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