April is here, bringing Autumn’s cooler weather and easing us into winter. We kick off the month by bringing you two stories from opposite sides of the Cape Peninsula – both bring the power of partnerships to life and share insights of how we instill hope, joy and relief.
On Wednesday our new Feed the Soil pop-up went live in Hout Bay, our Programme Director Yolanda Jones shares the story: “What an amazing day! With food waste kit purchases, organic veggie sales, swopping of food waste buckets, people were popping in all morning – we were busier than we ever imagined. The Ladles of Love banners had folks stopping in the middle of the road and calling from their cars to find out if we were selling veggies. There was an excitement in the air, and we have every reason to believe that with your weekly support for our Wednesday morning Hout Bay pop-up, we will go from strength to strength.”
Partnering with local NPO Love in a Bowl has enabled us to form a circular economy whereby they will be receiving free compost from the Hout Bay food waste donated so they can continue growing amazing vegetables, which we in turn buy from them and sell to customers – raising funds for food relief.
Then, to close the circle, Love in a Bowl is also one of our “Nourish Our Children” primary beneficiaries and acts as a conduit to 26 ECD Centres in Hout Bay by collecting enough bulk food from our warehouse weekly, to feed all the children and teachers. The lives of the ECD Principals has changed as they receive regular nutritious food and now have access to resources and training opportunities.
On the topic of children, today we share a story of hope through feeding, reading and the joy that comes from both giving and receiving. We travelled to Pitter Patter Educare in Dunoon to introduce two wonderful women to each other, both of whom are committed to growing small children’s bodies and minds.
Chatting to Principal Chantelle Farao, about the difference in the children since we introduced our daily nutrition plan at Pitter Patter Educare in Dunoon, she explained: “The kids now have fresh, warm and healthy meals every day and what really touched me is … where we have come from to what we have now. I cannot thank Ladles enough for what they are doing for myself and the kids.”
Armed with books for all the children at Pitter Patter, Lwambeso Lunga Nqadoloc, the MD of NPO, The Bookery explained to us why it is so important for her organisation to gift books to children in need: “The state of literacy in South Africa is very alarming, with 81% of children in grade 4 unable to read for meaning in any language. The ability to read and write is crucial to learning for children. Children want to learn and need to be provided with all the required resources and facilities that enable them to reach their full potential. “
What we realised listening to these women talking, is how vital books are and when coupled with food that enables them to focus – the results are astounding. Checking in with Chantelle a few days after our visit she said: “Now with the books too, the reading is doing wonders for the kids, especially with vocabulary and imagination, they really love the books. Myself and the teachers enjoy reading for them. It also helps us improve our language.”
With all thanks to YOU our supporters, we are making a difference and touching lives in a positive way, every single day.
Danny & the entire team at Ladles of Love
