AT the beginning of July, the Durban North Methodist Church celebrated three years of breaking bread with the homeless through its partnership with the Denis Hurley Centre.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, members of various Methodist Church congregations, residents and volunteers help make 500 sandwich packs a week to feed some of society’s most vulnerable.

The Sandwich Project, as it has been dubbed, sees a flurry of activity every Wednesday morning at the church as people bring in their loaves of bread premade into peanut-butter or jam sandwiches.

One of the volunteers of the project, Madeline Pearson, said she has been blown away by the support from the greater Durban community.

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“Each loaf of bread feeds up to five people. We can’t believe that three years have passed since the Denis Hurley Centre reached out at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The incredible thing about this project is that the support and commitment from everyone involved has never wavered. In fact, we’ve grown from strength to strength. We invite anyone who can contribute to this initiative to do so. Every Wednesday, we collect and make sandwiches which are then distributed to the Denis Hurley Centre,” she said.

Not only does the church help make, collect and distribute sandwiches but they also make 40 litres of soup a week for Khabazela Village in Avoca Hills.

Fellow congregant and volunteer Rita Munsamy explained her reason for giving back was about making a difference.

“I feel very blessed. I have a home and food to eat, but I look around at the homeless people and they have nothing. I feel, if you are in a position to give back, you should as it can make a world of difference in someone else’s life. Our message is to spread kindness through generosity. The success of the sandwich project is down to dedicated volunteers and caring members of the various congregations who want to make a difference to the less fortunate,” she said.

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If you would like to donate sandwiches or get involved in the project, you can drop off your premade sandwiches between 08:00 and 10:00 or contact Pearson on 082 904 5357.

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