Serving up hope and warm meals on The Bluff
The Bluff’s Rochelle Rae is on a quest to not only serve hot meals to those in need but to ensure they feel the love behind the donation.
ROCHELLE Rae, founder of the Mzansi Mama Movement and a mother based on The Bluff, has started a lunch programme to aid families struggling with food shortages, with a focus on single mothers, children and senior citizens struggling to make ends meet.
Also read: Mzansi mama magic: The Bluff mother’s journey sparks a wave of support
Rae said that the rising number of families dealing with money issues gave her the idea to start the programme.
“Everything has become incredibly expensive, and single mothers feel that strain even more. Through my online support community of over 18 000 South African moms, I became aware of a few single mothers in my local area who were really struggling. Some reached out to me directly, others shared their situations quietly online. Knowing their stories, and seeing how close to home hunger really is, I felt compelled to act in a practical way,” she said.
To start the programme Rae would prepare and deliver meals every week. She added that when she has more resources or when people in the community want to cook and donate meals for birthdays or other events, she delivers more often. Apart from the home-cooked meals, Rae also gives out basic grocery items like bread, milk, and cereal, which have become more vital since schools reopened.
“Sadly, many children go to school without lunch,” she said.
Rae makes dishes from macaroni and cheese to lasagna to stews with rice and breyani.
Appeals to the community:
Some of the much-needed items that Rae is appealing to the community to assist with:
- Rice
- Macaroni
- Two-minute noodles
- Biscuits for school lunches
- Frozen mixed vegetables
- Peanut butter
- Jam
- Cooking oil
- Mixed herbs.
To support:
If you want to help by donating food or cooking a meal, contact Rochelle Rae by email at hello@mzansimama.co.za or contact her on 072 639 0998.
Rae is also encouraging people to visit her Facebook page at Mzansi Mama, to see their other community work.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
