Feeding the need in White River – big hearts in a small town

The idea was, and still is, for Connection Properties to have a mid-month soup kitchen in the middle of town for those on the streets and any person in need.

“The plea for help after the first week of lockdown made us realise that the need was much bigger and something had to be done sooner,” said Bruce Macaulay, one of the volunteers involved in the project.

“Like Covid-19, hunger knows no boundaries, and doesn’t care about your race, religious or political views. Hunger is heartbreakingly real.”

After getting the necessary permits and the permission to use the town hall as a receiving and distribution hub, the Feed the Need (FTN) team asked the public to get involved and help.

In just eight days FTN has handed out about 26 720 single meals.

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Pick n Pay White River started its Community Hope Challenge by allowing a trolley in front of their store and opened up a Smart Shopper Card Account for FTN, so that the public could contribute in whichever way suited them best.

Any extra donations of fresh fruit and vegetables from Rustig and the Dutch Reformed Church of White River were also delivered to the FTN hub and soon others joined in as well.

“It felt like pushing a shopping trolley down the main street of White River and the closer we got to the town hall, the more we were blessed by different organisations, businesses and individuals,” Macaulay commented.

Johan Maritz en Pierre du Preez, estate agents of Connection Properties, are not allowed to do their daily duties due to the lockdown. This gave them the free time to invest back into the community by taking charge of this feeding scheme.

In the last two weeks they have also been supported and helped by various churches and other NPOs.

Where the likes of White River Dutch Reformed Church’s Koskas project hands out much larger food parcels to the struggling and needy families, for a longer period, and have been doing so for more than 20 years, Feed The Need focuses on handing out daily parcels to ease the hunger pains during the coronavirus lockdown period.

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The CMR of White River has also made its social workers available to FTN should request arise during this period.

“We handout everything we receive and we start off with an empty hub almost every day!” said Macaulay.

“It is heartwarming to see how great and caring our community is. This feeding scheme is truly one by the community, for the community. I am so proud to be part of this town and to be associated with so many people with compassionate hearts!”

FTN would like to thank each and every organisation, person and business that has contributed in any way during the past two weeks and those who have committed to keep on contributing until the need has subsided.

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“In life there aren’t many things bigger than fear, in times like these – maybe hunger. The only thing bigger than both of these is grace. That is what FTN is all about. Distributing a bit of grace to those who need it most. We have a lot of volunteers who help us make up these parcels and not one of them was called to do so, it is just their way of helping us distribute the ‘five loaves of bread and two fish’,” Macaulay continued.

Once the dust has settled, the team would like to encourage everyone who can afford it to please get involved at their church’s feeding scheme or any one of the local NPO organisations, like the CMR, Rustig Old Age Home, Millenium Home of Hope, or Hospice.

Without the caring community they would not be able to deliver the service they do on a daily basis.

Should you like get involved at anyone of these organisations please feel free to contact Bruce Macaulay on 079-883-7806 or at bruce8202@gmail.com, or contact them directly via their webpages or Facebook pages.