Lions Club cooks up a storm for the needy

Fourways Lions Club is seeking donations to help fill their jars of hope.

April 3, 2024

Ditiro Masuku 2 minutes read

Papy Katende, Desiree Olivier, Mark Yaman, Alec Pera, and Mauritz van den Heever cook up a storm to feed the need.

Fourways Lions Club and Beanies for Beings are spreading love and kindness to hundreds of families in Randburg.

In their fight against hunger, Elindi van den Heever from Fourways Lions Club delivered 45 jars of hope to Beanies for Being Charity.

She said they have been collaborating with one another since 2020.

Megan Botha, who runs Beanies for Beings, helps multiple beneficiaries every month. She often helps Fourways Lions collect for their needs including their Blanket and Beanie drive which was recently held.

She was also part of the toiletry drive that took place earlier in the year. Therefore, Fourways Lions Club returns the favour by providing them with items they need.

Van den Heever said they call this initiative Jars of Hope because it is a jar of dry food that can be mixed with water and provides a nutritious meal for between four to six people.

“Each jar contains lentils, soup mix, soup powder, a stock cube and rice. It gives hope of another meal and a night with a full tummy. We are asking for soup mix specifically as it is the only outstanding ingredient of all the items that we are in short supply of. We have about 100 bottles ready to be distributed but it lacks this final item.”

The jars that the club delivered to the charity and the ones they are trying to finish will be delivered by Beanies for Beings to hundreds of beneficiaries in the surrounding informal settlements of Kya Sand, Cosmo City, Video, Zandspruit, Lion Park and Eskom as they are identified as the most vulnerable to distribute the jars of hope to.

“The charity also supports 21 under-privileged crèches as well as two primary or high schools where food security is seriously compromised. These crèches and schools also benefit from the donations of jars of hope as many of these children and their families fall well below the minimum wage bracket or are even unemployed and rely on these jars of hope as a staple meal.

“The significance of this initiative is to provide food for under-privileged and in-need households. It gives them all the ingredients, and all that is needed is water and a mechanism to cook the meal. One jar costs around R32 but can feed many people. The ingredients as such hold a significant quantity of the nutrients required for a person’s daily dietary requirements.”

Van den Heever added that they are always in need of non-perishable food items such as rice, lentils, soup mix, tin food, toiletries and now for winter – blankets, jackets, scarves, beanies and gloves.

“The charity is also in need of donations for their Gogo Project for Mother’s Day in May. They need a pack of spoils such as a 200g pack of biscuits, 1kg sugar, a pack of 80 tea bags and 400ml body lotion.”