Springs church reaches out to feed vulnerable residents
A local partnership between the Jesus Christ Apostolic Church and local businesses is helping bring hope to vulnerable people in Springs through weekly warm meals and future skills development.
The Jesus Christ Apostolic Church (JCAC) continued its mission to support vulnerable residents by hosting its soup kitchen on July 29, where dozens of people received a warm meal in the Springs CBD.
The outreach also received additional support from the local Debonairs Pizza, which donated bread rolls to accompany the meals served.
The church’s co-ordinator, Henry Kgomo, told the Springs Advertiser that its soup kitchen programme has now expanded from a monthly initiative to a weekly outreach following a donation of groceries from local business Maxi’s Butchery.
He said that the increased support will allow it to provide warm, nutritious meals more frequently to vulnerable members of the Springs community, subject to the availability of resources.
Kgomo explained that the soup kitchen forms part of its vision to empower both members and non-members through the Word of God and practical support.
The programme is aimed at residents who have no other means of generating an income and seeks to restore human dignity by ensuring they have access to nutritious meals.
He shared that the long-term vision extends beyond providing food.
“The principle of ‘don’t give me fish, but teach me how to catch one’ is at the nucleus of the empowerment business model for the ministry,” said Kgomo.
He added that as the project grows, beneficiaries will be introduced to skills development programmes to equip them with practical abilities and help them participate in the local economy.
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“Real restoration of human dignity will be achieved the moment every single individual beneficiary is equipped with skills to sell themselves,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to Maxi’s Butchery for donating groceries that have made the expansion possible. A representative of Maxi’s Butchery said the business was proud to support the project.
“We are honoured to be able to help feed those who are in need. We live in an era where a helping hand is hard to find. By doing this, we are trying to set an example for other communities to help where they can and be a ray of hope for fellow human beings.”
JCAC has appealed to local businesses and individuals to support the project through donations to ensure its sustainability and help expand its future skills development programmes.
