Playing an active role in keeping our children fed
If there is anyone who would like to help UCS, contact Antia Stevens on 061 956 9671.
Thousands of children come home from school with no food at home. The thought of children not having food ignited something inside Antia Stevens’ heart that persuaded her to start a feeding scheme.
Stevens said, “I started the feeding scheme on September 28 and I have been feeding them ever since. I have always wanted to start a feeding scheme but I did not know how until I helped three boys after school by giving them bread.
“They became five boys the next day, which is when I decided that now is the time to start my feeding scheme.”
Stevens said that people are now living in a world where children don’t only come home to no food, they even go to school hungry without packed lunches and that breaks her heart.
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“When I started serving the children on September 28, I had 44 children, now I have 55 children to feed.”
The numbers are increasing as the days progress and it can get costly especially when it’s self-funded.
She added, “I fund all of this from my own pocket with the help of my husband, as I am unemployed. I also have three unemployed mothers who give their time to volunteer by helping me to cook, dish up and serving juice to the children.”
The food she prepares for the children differs depending on what she has, but what makes it even more difficult is that she has no crockery and no cutlery, so she asks each child to bring their own.
“I would like to do more for the children by giving them a fruit after their meal and serving them five days a week. “Due to the lack of funding, I can only provide two meals on Mondays and Thursdays,” she added.
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According to Stevens, what she finds most heartrending is that she sometimes has to turn a few of the children away because there is not enough food to feed everyone.
Stevens, in a heartfelt plea to the Eldorado Park community, said, “I am kindly asking for any sponsor, donation or contribution towards my feeding scheme. Be it vegetables, fruit, rice, juice, plastic plates and cups, cutlery or anything that can help make our children happy and fill their tummies, please.”
Unity Community Service (UCS) needs help from the community and needs people to believe in its mission like Stevens does.
She said, “I believe we can create a brighter future for our future leaders. If God can bless us, how can we not bless or be a blessing to our children in need?”
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