Africa-Press – South-Africa. Charity organisation Rescue Among Many (RAM) in Montagu in the Western Cape is expanding its soup kitchens ahead of the Easter weekend.
Co-founder Carol Bruton said the organisation, founded 12 years ago, operated several soup kitchens in the town. She said its beneficiaries were mainly seasonal farmworkers or unemployed residents who often couldn’t afford to put food on the table.
Bruton added that challenges like water shortages and the Covid-19 pandemic, which halted farm operations, worsened living conditions in the town.
“We work with farmworkers, and the farmers have reduced their crops because of the water shortages. The town is a tourist, winemaking town, and these two services were affected during the lockdown. The town took a big knock from level 5 to now. It will take a few years to recover fully. Things have escalated as we have grown in the community. We need to cook more than we did to alleviate poverty in another part of the town,” she said.
Bruton said RAM prepared 2 200 meals weekly, which include one main meal and breakfast during the school holidays.
“Usually, children will get breakfast at school but not during holidays. Usually, we make porridge in the mornings for schoolchildren, so the demand grows a bit during school holidays,” she added.
Bruton reached out to aid organisation Gift of the Givers for food donations to ensure continued provision of meals and other basic needs.
Gift of the Givers said it would donate two wheelchairs and 200 food hampers to families headed by elderly and disabled residents. It also pledged to support RAM soup kitchens for the next twelve months.
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