Ponelopele Drop in Centre distributes 250 food parcels to Alexandra families in need

Non-profit organisation, Ponelopele Drop in Centre, in partnership with provincial Department of Social Development, distributed 250 food parcels to needy families in Ward 105 in East Bank Community Hall on 25 July.

The Alexandra-based organisation was established in 2001 by Salaminah Mashigo to feed children through her disability grant.

The chairperson and head of projects at the organisation, Patrick Baloyi said the organisation has been working hand in hand with private donors and the department to help give families in need something to put on the table since lockdown was announced in March.

“Many families in this community have been forced to go to bed without eating since lockdown was announced earlier this year. Many people have lost their jobs and those who were running small businesses lost their income. Since then, we’ve been working with the department and community leaders to identify those families in need. The project is not just a once-off, we will come back again to distribute another food parcels to those who didn’t get this time,” he said.

Baloyi made an appeal to business community and individual donors to lend a helping hand in the fight against hunger by donating to those in need during this trying time.

“Not only our country is in crisis because of Covid-19 but the entire world, we need to unite and help each other. This outbreak has shown us how much we need each other,” Baloyi added.

Simphiwe Stoto from Social Development Department’s said Ponelopele Drop Centre has been helping the department identify those community members who are in need of food parcels.

“We work with different community organisations to identify those who qualify to receive food parcels from the department and Ponelopele Drop Centre is one of them. Baloyi and his organisation has been helping those who doesn’t have access to internet by compiling their names on the list and send it to our call centre,” Stoto said.