Working together to feed Wentworth

TO ensure no one goes to bed on an empty stomach.

This is the calling placed in the hearts of the community activists, churches, non-profit organisations (NPOs) and good Samaritans of Wentworth who have united in their fight against hunger.

Child-time Feeding, Wentworth Angels, Thabitha Community Care Services, People with Promise, Battalion, Feeding God’s People, meals on Wheels, Sharin Rajmin, Assegai Feeding Scheme, Vasco Feeding, Flow Feeding, Wentworth Victim Friendly Centre, Wentworth Organisation of Women (WOW), BAFDT and the Bluff Feeding have formed an umbrella body of feeding schemes that share resources for the greater goal of food security and reach out to the community in a bigger way.

“Different organisations cook on different days in the various zones that we have split the ward. Every group that deals with food security in the community decided to get together in March to form one feeding association. It has been going well because every zone of ward 68 is covered. This includes parts of Bluff and Merebank too. In the instance that there are food hampers, we communicate with each other on a fair way to distribute the goods throughout the ward. Likewise, if any group had a surplus or shortage of food, we liaise and work together to help each other out. The aim is to make sure the community is fed,” explained Sr Renette Roskruge, director of Thabitha Community Care Services.

Founder of Child-time Feeding Esmeen Usher shared that the demand for this passion project is likely to increase as a result of the unrest which robbed many of their jobs. “As the lines of people in need of a daily meal continue to grow, the funding and donations have been very scarce. Now with the looting that took place recently, it’s going to be even worse because more people are out of work which means more stomachs to feed. ChildTime is also working towards embarking on a business skills development training programme. Due to Covid-19 and other factors, a lot of people have lost their jobs and a lot of people have to pivot from their original careers into entrepreneurship. Through this programme we will assist people to empower themselves and establish businesses of their own,” she shared.

Asked what keeps them going during adverse times, Renette said, “Knowing that someone went to bed with something in their stomach keeps me going. We may not have the resources to feed everybody all the time, but as Mother Theresa once said, if you can feed one person and have played a part in making them go to bed with a full tummy, that’s more than enough.”

Esmeen added, “Most of the time we put our own monies into this to make sure that it succeeds. To be able to do what we do with the limited resources that we have is a blessing that does so much in the community.” An appeal is made to the greater public for any funding and food donations to keep the dream alive.

For more information contact Esmeen usher on 079 313 8183 or Renette Roskruge on 067 075 4163.  

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