Soup kitchens’ futures in balance
THE FUTURE of soup kitchens in the Province is uncertain following confusion over whether regular funding will be received from the Department of Social Development.
While it is believed that some soup kitchens have already received their annual funding, the DFA spoke to others yesterday who have either been told to seek alternate financial backing or to wait patiently until the department gets to them.
Barry Cronje, who runs Thabiso Soup Kitchen, said that some 270 children would be going hungry from next month due to a lack of funds.
The non-governmental organisation was founded in 1998 and is involved in several community development programmes which include soup kitchens and drop-off centres.
“As we understand it, there has been a policy change which means that some soup kitchens will lose their funding,” Cronje said yesterday.
“Their (the Department of Social Development) focus is now going to be on the really poor.
“For now, we are desperately looking for help from wherever we can get it. We have launched an adopt-a-child programme to get assistance with the costs of feeding all these young people but at the moment we will only be able to afford to do so until the end of the month,” Cronje said.
“The department does assist with youth development schemes and funds school feeding schemes, so at least children are able to eat at school. However, we are really going to struggle without this funding.”
Claudette Bartlett, from Lesedi Soup Kitchen, was optimistic that the funds will come but added that the organisation was already struggling to meet the demands of the needy.
“We have been told that there are no funds available yet but we mustn’t worry because the matter is being processed,” she said yesterday.
“However, we are still waiting for our outstanding stipends and the kitchen could not operate this morning because we couldn’t afford the gas.
“I’m really not worried about getting paid but how can you say to hungry people that there is no food?
“We have followed the correct procedure and submitted all the right applications. There are some soup kitchens that have already received funding but we are still waiting,” Bartlett added.
“It breaks my heart to turn away about a hundred people with nothing to eat. All we can do is tell them to come check again tomorrow.”
The department requested specific details regarding which soup kitchens and areas had been affected. The department also questioned whether the soup kitchens in question had submitted a new business plan.
“Other reasons a soup kitchen may not be funded include the misuse of funds, non-compliance regarding the submission of reports to the national and provincial office, as well as the non-accountability for funds,” said the department’s communications officer, Nelmarie van Wyk.
Little over a year ago, the department was funding a total of 138 soup kitchens throughout the Province where community members were able to access a meal.
The department also budgeted nearly R3.2 million to pay soup cooks during the 2014/15 financial year.