A soup kitchen that put food to hundreds of residents of Nomzamo and Asanda Village is calling on Good Samaritans to come to their rescue.
The soup kitchen, which is under Sisonke Sinako, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), started operating in 2018, where they mainly focussed on abused women in the area of Lwandle.
But with the arrival of Covid-19 pandemic, the focus changed and they decided to cook for the community which was severely affected by the pandemic.
In the initial stages they cooked for the entire week but as the results of dwindling funds they now only cook three times a week.
Founder Zoleka Toni said it pained her deeply to see children crying when the food run out.
Toni said they now have decided to dish for children first so that if food runs out, they at least have received their meals.
“The demand is huge and that’s worries me a lot. Even when I drive around, I frequently get asked if we are not cooking today,” she said.
Toni said this was “very painful” as they cannot afford to cook everyday with the funding they currently have. “If anyone can help us with anything to assist we will greatly appreciate it. Any support will mean a lot for people of these different areas, that depends on this soup kitchen,” she said.
Toni said to some people, the soup kitchen was the only food they get during the entire day.
She said it was “sad” they cannot cook everyday but it was s the results of circumstances beyond their control.
Toni said her dream is to not to see any child in the area not going to school because of hunger.
“When hunger sets in, it can lead these young children especial doing things they never thought of. We want to provide as much (meals) as we can, so that young children can go to school well fed and study to change their different circumstances (for the better),” said Toni.
She believes the reason many children end up doing drugs was as a result of poor backgrounds and in some instances also getting involve in crime.