Food for Life gives back on Heritage Day
CARLSWALD – Food for Life Midrand cooked up a storm to feed the needy for Heritage Day.
The Midrand branch of Food for Life gave back to various communities on Heritage Day this year.
Chairperson of the organisation Vinesh Maharaj said, “We are part of the Food for Life South Africa, which is affiliated with Food For Life Global which does over six billion meals. In Midrand, last year, we did 100 000 meals and our target is 200 000 meals for the community surrounding our kitchen, which includes Rabie Ridge, Ivory Park, President Park and Kaalfontein.”
He added, “This initiative is important because South Africa is a very unequal society and we need to get people into the middle class. The only way to do that is through education, and many children can’t study on an empty stomach. Making sure their nutrition is covered is our aim and give children the opportunity to excel and create a more equal society.”
The organisation has ramped up their operations during the Covid-19 lockdown. Maharaj said, “Historically, we usually did 300 meals per day and one large [group] of 1 500 meals on one day a month. We did that until February.
“At our peak in the lockdown we went up to 2 000 meals a day but then had to ramped down to 500 meals per day.
“We have done research at the end of last year, and found that the need is quite high with 10 000 meals for a day… In the Covid-19 period, we have done 160 000 meals.”
The organisation was hard at work at their Carlswald branch for Heritage Day to create and distribute 10 000 meals. Maharaj said, “The day is such a big celebration of South Africa’s melting pot of races, religions and culture. We believed that on this day, let’s give and help those who can’t afford a meal.
“There are so many people who are celebrating in their traditional clothing, with their families and today we want to help them with the food to assist in their celebrations.”
Maharaj appealed to the community for any assistance to continue their work. Any residents interested in supporting Food for Life Midrand can visit their website at www.fflsa.org.
Details: midrand@fflsa.org
