All it takes to remind the less fortunate that somebody cares is a single cup of soup and a few slices of bread.

According to Shirly Zulu, a member of the Ageing With Wisdom Elderly Forum in Region E, these simple offerings go a long way in tackling the food insecurity challenge that many families in Alexandra face daily.

Read more: Hunger shut out as senior residents open the Tswelopele soup kitchen to everyone

As one of the community members who has spent ample time caring for older people and cooking food for those who endure long queues every month, often on an empty stomach, to collect their pension grants, she knows the look of an elderly person or a child silently crying for help. She knows how hunger looks and where it often hides. She said it often hides behind the closed doors of families where no one is employed.

Alexandra, with all its socio-economic challenges, has no shortage of such households. “There are no jobs; our children are not getting jobs,” she said, adding that some households, where children are raised by their grandparents, are under immense pressure as they survive only on pension grants.

The group could not let this remain the status quo. They refused to sit on their hands and allow Alexandra residents to starve when they could do something about it. So, they launched the Tswelopele Soup Kitchen to ease the burden on already struggling families. On July 7, they served warm cups of soup and bread to residents in the community and expressed their intention to provide such relief at least three times a week.

“The demand is high. So, that means we have to do this more often, at least about three days a week,” said the group’s chairperson, Moses Maimela. However, this depends on the level of support they receive to keep the kitchen going.

Also read: Alexandra soup kitchen makes Sassa queue a little easier

As it stands, despite the support they have received from partners, they could do with more help from willing community members. Zulu said people who wish to contribute can either donate a bag of vegetables or make a monetary contribution towards the needed ingredients. That way, the kitchen will be able to serve scores of residents without fail, at least three days a week.

However, the kitchen would mean little if the people it is meant to serve do not show up. The group’s Sally Mangena urged residents to come in numbers to enjoy the soup as they share stories around Maimela’s porch table at house number 66 on 3rd Avenue.

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