Rokpa soup kitchen feeds the needy of Kensington
KENSINGTON – providing a meal to the homeless.
The EXPRESS recently visited the Rokpa Soup Kitchen in Floss Street in Kensington.
The soup kitchen is run from the premises of Kagyu Samye Dzong Johannesburg, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation centre.
The soup kitchen started in 1995 and the aim was to provide meals to homeless, destitute and unemployed people in the inner city.
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“Most of the people we feed are refugees, women and children,” said centre co-ordinator Paula van Eeden.
The soup kitchen serves 180 meals a week every Tuesday, consisting of a vegetarian soup, a peanut butter sandwich and a fruit.
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Van Eeden said: “We offer a starchy soup so that is filling because that might be the only meal they will receive for the day or maybe even a week.”
The soup is prepared on Tuesday mornings and gets delivered in the early evenings to a regular drop point.
Van Eeden said they face challenges because they need volunteers to prepare the meals.
We need people who prepare in the mornings and the delivery team in the evenings but there are not enough volunteers.
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She said: “We need the help because with the current dedicated team – if one gets sick it means we are one volunteer down and we have no one to replace them and also the people who prepare the meals are not the same people who deliver the meals in the evenings.”
The running of the soup kitchen is from donations from individuals, fundraisings from Rokpa International, and occasionally from corporates.
“We are challenged financially because we have to buy the groceries to make the meals and the total costs weekly are around R1 500,” said Van Eeden.
She said apart from financial support, residents can also donate ingredients for the soup or bread.
Soup ingredients:
• Peanut butter – 8kg per week.
• Rice – 10kg per week.
• Samp – 2kg per week.
• Dried Beans
• Spices.
“We need to replace our delivery bakkie which is old – without it, the soup kitchen cannot operate. Maybe an option would be for a loan vehicle which would be available to us on Tuesdays to deliver the meals,” she said.
She thanked those who diligently offer their assistance on Tuesdays.
“We appreciate the support and we would also like to invite others to support us,” concluded van Eeden
Contact the soup kitchen on 011 954 0287.
Email joburgeast@caxton.co.za or contact 011 6094966
