Mhani Gingi Social Entrepreneurial Network will launch and officially open its Satellite Community Soup Kitchen on Monday 31 August 2020, from 10:00 to 12:00, at the Mhani Gingi Centre of Social Entrepreneurial Excellence situated at the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Athlone, Cape Town.
Mhani Gingi Social Entrepreneurial Network Mhani Gingi Social Entrepreneurial Network (www.mhanigingi.co.za) is a non-profit organisation which, for the past 15 years, has pursued a mission to alleviate chronic poverty and hunger through urban agriculture and community gardens and by providing sustainable livelihoods for marginalised communities, mostly situated on the Cape Flats in the Cape Town area. The target groups of Mhani Gingi include women and those who are survivors of gender violence; early learning centres children; vulnerable children; unemployed youth and youth at risk/offenders; people with disabilities; and the elderly.
The opening of the refurbished Satellite Community Soup Kitchen will not only be an opportunity to thank the Ladles of Love organisation, which provides regular donations of supplies that boost the preparation of food at the Community Soup Kitchens administered by Mhani Gingi to provide food security to vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 lockdown. It will also be an opportunity to thank Jody Scheckter for awarding the kitchen as well to acknowledge and honour the women who have been tirelessly cooking and feeding communities.
Mhani Gingi Media Statement 31 August 2020
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Ladles of Love Ladles of Love is a community project that is dedicated to feeding hungry people in and around the Cape Town area. The initiative began in July 2014 when restaurant owner Danny Diliberto was inspired to set up a soup kitchen after attending a course through the Art of Living Foundation that encouraged people to give back to their community.
Since May 2020, Mhani Gingi has welcomed twice-weekly donations of vegetables, rice, maize and other supplies from Ladles of Love. These donations have boosted the efforts of Mhani Gingi’s three Soup Stations situated in Mannenberg/Athlone, Uitsig Ravensmead, and at Blouvlei LSN School for Learners with Special Needs in Retreat. Ms Tulp Heldwich’s generous additional donation of food since July has made possible Mhani Gingi newly-added fourth Soup Station in West Lake, feeding vulnerable children. The four Mhani Gingi Soup Stations each feed about 200 individuals per meal per day. Founding Director of Mhani Gingi, Lillian Masebenza, has estimated that about 52 000 individuals have been served through these four Mhani Gingi Community Soup Stations over 13 weeks since May. “A Big Thank You to Ladles of Love and ALL the donors,” said Masebenza.
Sustainable catering
The launch event will also be an opportunity to thank Jody Scheckter, whose generous donation provided the new equipment, two cookers and utensils for the Satellite Community Soup Kitchen and the ‘Sustainable Catering to Serve the People’ certificate and award that Mhani Gingi received for its efforts of feeding communities during COVID-19.
Honouring women
To mark Women’s Month in South Africa, Mhani Gingi will also be thanking and honouring the women who cook the meals in the communities on behalf of Mhani Gingi and distribute them to hungry people in compliance will all the protocols of the COVID-19 lockdown. These women include the Mhani Gingi Seedling Nursery staff, and those who cook at the four feeding stations. “It is humbling to see that members of a group of beneficiaries of Mhani Gingi in Uitsig Community who have physical disabilities, are the ones who are feeding the abled-bodied people,” said Masebenza.
Call to action – the land to grow own food and growers, urgently needed!
Lillian Masebenza will repeat her Call to Action for increased support to produce own food through urban agriculture and community gardening, as a sustainable means to combat food insecurity and
Mhani Gingi Media Statement 31 August 2020
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hunger. “There is urgent need for food growers to find arable land. While food parcels and supplies of food and vegetables to make soup provide an interim relief of dire need for food in vulnerable and marginalized communities, growing own food is more sustainable. The need for food, not only among the beneficiaries of Mhani Gingi, has risen since the lockdown necessitated by COVID-19 virus and as a result of the economic straits in the country,” she said. Women’s leadership Masebenza will especially pay tribute to the leadership qualities of the women who not only are cooking to feed people but also in doing so have demonstrated outstanding leadership capacities and supporting roles in their communities. Guests of Honour Founder and Director of Ladles of Love, Danny Diliberto, will be in attendance. Other guests who are passionate about finding solutions to the problem of hunger and food insecurity in our communities will also be attending the event which will be video recorded by Ladles of Love. For further information please contact Lillian Masebenza at: 082 465 4687 or Lillian@mhanigingi.com