Operation Snowdrop’s food drive on Mandela Day

The drive started at Shamrock Place, a boarding house in Geduld, where the group handed out curry and rice to the children first, and then to the adults.

After everyone had had their fill, the group departed to the second stop where the employees at the Geduld dump site were eagerly awaiting their turn for the curry and rice.

The team stopped the bakkie, opened the back and started dishing up.

When this was done, they closed everything, pushed things back onto the bakkie and left for the third and final stop of the day.

Residents of the Never-Never Informal Settlement were excited to see the group arrive and the children gave out hugs and happy smiles.

Operation Snowdrop provided all the children with curry and rice, a juice and a lollipop.

The adults patiently waited until all the children were fed before getting in line for their own meal.

Ina McDonald from Operation Snowdrop says the day was a great success.

“It was the first time for many of the people who accompanied us and they were astonished at how it was,” she says.

“Some of them had never been in an informal settlement, but everyone enjoyed it a lot and had so much fun.”

She says they have been operating for ten years now and are not limited to certain areas.

“We obviously work in Springs a lot because that is where we are based, but we work in other areas too.

“We do what I like to call, random acts of kindness.”

The organisation is also currently helping six students to complete their tertiary education.