While the festive season is often a time of family reunions and cherished memories, not every family can afford to make the season special for their loved ones.

That is where community members like Franci Swanepoel step in. A soup kitchen founder, Swanepoel has dedicated her time to showing compassion to those in need, one meal at a time.

On December 20, the Greater Springs Soup Kitchen hosted its first Christmas lunch to spread some festive kindness. Over 200 locals received meals and a gift.

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“We wanted to make it memorable for everyone we served. With the support we got from volunteers and donors, we were able to cook the food, pack the gifts and host an amazing lunch,” Swanepoel said.

She added that although they received community support, it was limited, which posed some challenges during the planning process.

“Planning the lunch was not easy. We had to plead with our community and local businesses in an effort to have enough presents and to purchase everything we needed. My husband, Jaco, stepped up and also filled the gaps so we could finalise everything – without his time, effort, love, and the volunteers’ and community’s unwavering support, this initiative wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

She recalled the most heartwarming moment as seeing the joy on the residents’ faces and the gratitude they expressed.

“You could see how happy they were that someone had thought of them, especially the children. The pure joy on their faces as they received a warm meal and were made to feel special was priceless,” she said.

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