Manna from heaven

Six days a week for the last eight and a half years, Derek Olds has collected food from Lifestyle Super Spar in Ballito and taken it to fill the stomachs of the poorest of the poor.
Driven by his love for the people and the terrible knowledge that if he does not arrive the people will go hungry, Olds refuses to take any time off from his duty.
The food he collects has reached its sell-by date, but is still safe for consumption and has become a lifeline for many rural families.
“While people are starving out there we cannot allow for any good food to be thrown away,” said Olds.
Every morning, with the assistance of his daughter Kerry, Olds loads his bakkie high with food and makes the drive to Magwaveni, a rural area of upper Tongaat.
“The women sort the food and ensure that each family receives their allocation. They are very organised and families are allocated different days for food collection.”
Many of these families are headed by grandmothers who are caring for up to twelve grandchildren and orphans.
Olds now collects food from both Ballito Spars and Pick n Pay at the Junction.
“The assistance I have received from all the supermarkets, but especially the Lifestyle Spar, is unbelievable. The management have become like family to me and they understand just what this food means to so many people. With their help everything that is salvageable is set aside for collection. This includes breads, cakes, vegetables, meat, dairy products and even plastic containers for carrying water out in the rural areas.”
Olds is the founder of Practising Christian Outreach and his vision is do more than feed the people physically. He hopes to build a centre where the poor can receive education and health care.
“I already have the land and the blessing of the chief, all I need now is for people to come on board with the finances.”