GEORGE NEWS - Everyone is welcome - the Thembalethu United Reformed Church's soup kitchen will feed anyone who is hungry or thirsty, is the message from rev. Bongi Mbenenge. His message is that you cannot buy souls, they have to come to church willingly, not because you feed them.
This soup kitchen feeds hungry workers in the industrial area, every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Sophie Nikani, one of the women who help to dish food, says she has been doing it for a couple of years. She says sometimes it is heartbreaking to see the need of the people, especially the children and the sick. To her and Thembakazi Mbeka, Margeret Ntozini and Bhejeli Mnyaka who helps at the soup kitchen, this is really a labour of love.
Mbeka says she always thinks of these people as family, and how she would feel if her family was in need of food. "I sometimes cannot sleep at night because I think of the many people who go to bed hungry. And after a day of feeding people, all you can do is hope they find work so that their families will have food this winter."
Nikani says they do have one worry, especially during school holidays, which is that they have more people to feed. "We are also dependent on donations like gas to cook the food and vegetables to make sure they get a decent meal."
She says they use 10 kilograms of rice and 10 kilograms of samp per meal and pair it with either soup or beans. They also have a donor who gives broccoli, but now that season has passed, they need more options of both vegetables and fruit.
The men coming for seconds since this may be their last meal of the day.
Bhejeli Mnyaka help to dish food. The one man brought a container to take food home to his children.
Nikani says sometimes that one plate of food is all these people get to eat that day, so they do not mind giving seconds once everyone has had something. They also do not chase away drunkards or people who do not attend their church.
The soup kitchen is reliant on food donations, if anyone has a donation to make, it can be dropped off at the church office at 835 Ngcakani Road, Thembalethu.
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