Riders set to cycle to support poverty alleviation across SA
... providing a meal to the poorest of the poor is the first step in mobilising these individuals ...
EIGHTEEN cyclists will ride 1 000km from Kimberley to Cape Town during the fourth annual Extreme Ride for Hunger event.
This year’s event is part of Meals on Wheels Community Services South Africa (MOWCS SA) serving the nine provinces through 210 community kitchens.
The Fourth Annual Extreme Ride for Hunger Tour hosted by Meals on Wheels Northern Cape Area Office will run from Sunday to Friday.
The organisation’s four focuses are food security, poverty alleviation, self-sustainability and fund-raising.
The organisation serves about 20 million meals a month to more than 12 million South Africans.
Fund-raising manager Angelique Murphy said: “We are well aware that providing a meal to the poorest of the poor is the first step in mobilising these individuals for their daily tasks. It is also critical to provide a basket of services which complement the cooked meal provided on a daily basis. We strive to achieve this through core values of love, spirituality, excellence and justice.”
The cyclists hope to raise an additional R50 000 to assist Meals on Wheels in the Northern Cape to upgrade their kitchens.
Besides creating awareness, the cyclists will be involved in six different outreach activities along the way including handing out 35 care packs and 35 food parcels to the Gentle Care Frail Care (Britstown), 35 food parcels to Victoria West Community Centre (Victoria West) and 35 food parcels to Eden Meals on Wheels (Oudtshoorn) among other organisations.
Anyone wishing to get involved in this initiative for the 120 care packs, can buy one care pack at R100 each which includes a drawstring bag that can be used by the children.
To assist, deposit R100 per child into the Meals on Wheels Community Services Absa bank account 4076236605 – reference Mispah and your name, or SMS the word “Meal” to 39055.
Each SMS is charged at a cost of R15 to provide one meal to someone who may need it most.
Angelique Murphy
Meals on Wheels Northern Cape