Local siblings feed the homeless in Pretoria West
Every Saturday on Frieda and Keyter streets, food is served to the locals. Preparation starts at 11:00 and food is served from 14:00 onward.
Two Pretoria West siblings that feed just about 300 homeless people a week have appealed to business and residents to join their fight against hunger.
Based in Daspoort, Teressa and Chris Thirion began a charity called Ons Gee Om/We Care in February 2022 and have since been supplying meals to some of the most destitute and impoverished members of society around Pretoria West as they aim to help as many as they can.
“We started by driving through the streets of Mountain View, Daspoort, Booysens, and Pretoria Gardens looking for homeless people to feed. Then one day in August a lady asked if we could help the poor as well, that’s when we decided to prepare our food at a park where anyone is welcome – not only the homeless,” said Teressa.
The pair’s last weekly feeding outreach was on October 15 on the corner of Frieda and Keyter streets in Daspoort.
We Care often collaborates with local organisations, Terugploeg, Vibro bricks as well as Tres engineering, and more recently, Promed ambulance services. Promed and Terugploeg will be taking part in the charity’s first Christmas project this December 16 and the public is urged to join the cause and help out where possible.
“We have done 37 drives to date and the next drive will be on October 22. We give food to the people every Saturday on Frieda and Keyter streets.”
Preparation starts at 11:00 and food is served from 14:00 onward.
“We are determined to help but we need help from the community,” continued Teressa.
Some of the challenges the charity faces include inability to afford gas and disposable plates as well as cutlery, which the pair sometimes have to provide from their own pockets. We Care currently has 19 volunteers and hopes that the initiative will inspire others to treat the homeless and poor with more care.
“Don’t judge people, come walk in their shoes for only one day. These people struggle to find food and a place to sleep, they depend on people like us for help. We would like people not to look down on the homeless and the poor,” concluded Teressa.
For more information contact Teressa Thirion on 084 838 7080 or visit “Ons gee om/We care” Facebook page.
ALSO READ: Driver’s licence machine up and running… again
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
