Spare a thought for the homeless this Christmas
A PROGRAMME named Feed5000 provides daily meals to more than 250 homeless people in Cape Town from today until January 13.
Initiated by The Carpenter’s Shop (TCS) in Roeland Street in 2015, they work together with Ladles of Love, Souper Troopers and RPC Helping Hands. TCS and the Service Dining Rooms in Canterbury Street, where the homeless get a daily meal, collaborate during the year.
But in December the Dining Rooms close for a break after a year of serving meals every day. This leaves 250 people in an area from Vredehoek to Sea Point without food.
Although some of the main sponsors of the Dining Rooms continue their contributions, Feed5000 relies on volunteers and donations to continue serving that one, much-needed meal throughout the holiday season.
TCS in Roeland Street provides essential services to the increasingly growing population of homeless people on the streets in the city, many of whom were forced there by circumstance. TCS’s main goal is to create contact points with homeless individuals, determining their social needs and aiming to help them ultimately provide a stepping-stone for re-integration into society – through social support, reuniting them with family or giving them the support they need to find employment. Feed5000’s specific needs:
♦ Food sponsors for six days, including Christmas Day and New Year’s day, in the form of meals or ingredients to cook meals.
♦ Volunteers to assist with serving and cooking.
♦ Financial donations allocated to buying food or preparing food.
Contact: Janet Chadwick (organiser for Feed5000), marketing and resource development at The Carpenter’s Shop, 14A Roeland Street, 0214615508 or 0834611198.