Mother’s Day is a time to reflect on all that these everyday heroes mean to us.
Mothers are worth celebrating every day because they are the heartbeat of our communities.
In honour of Mother’s Day this weekend, the FoodForward SA team took some time this week, to surprise a few special women at our beneficiary organisations with something sweet.
Armed with several boxes of donated Lindt chocolates, we visited three beneficiary organisations in Cape Town, expressing our thanks for the impactful work they are doing.
Our first stop was at St Michaels Child and Youth Care Centre in Plumstead, a facility where girls aged between 13 to 18-years-old are placed by the court for a variety of reasons.
From experiences of abuse, abandonment, and neglect, the girls who find refuge at St. Michael’s stay at the facility for up to 90 days or until they reach the age of 21 – provided they are in school or part of another educational programme.
MAKING MOTHER’S DAY A MEMORABLE OCCASION
Social Worker, Chrystelle De Klerk says they always try to make Mother’s Day a memorable and special occasion for both the girls and the staff.
“Usually, on Mother’s Day we let our girls phone home so they can say Happy Mother’s Day to their mothers or the women in their lives who they see as mother figures,” she says.
“For the staff here, we usually try and get them something small just to thank them for being here and being the mother to these girls.
“The care workers play the role of mother to these girls and whatever the girls need, the care workers would give to them,” she says.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER MAKING A DIFFERENCE
In Westlake, Anthea Thebus and her daughter Alicia van Schalkwyk, the founders of Women from Westlake, are making a difference in their community by ensuring that vulnerable women and children in their community receive a nutritious meal daily.
With the help of volunteers from their community, the women feed children on Mondays and Tuesdays to Fridays they serve a healthy meal to scores of women and children who are either food insecure or victims of domestic violence.
“There are times when we’re running out of food and we don’t know how we’re going to make it through the rest of the month, but then I tell the women God will provide and someone always comes through for us,” says Anthea.
To overcome this challenge, Anthea started a food garden where they grow many of their own vegetables which she uses to feed the community.
“All the vegetables we grow here we use to fill our pots and to feed the people,” she says proudly.
The Lindt chocolates proved to be a delightful surprise as the women gathered at Aunty A’s Kitchen for their afternoon meal and the unexpected sweet treat.
Honouring Elders: Spreading Joy and Sweetness at Douglas Murray Home
Our third and final stop was at Douglas Murray Home for the Aged in Retreat.
At FoodForward SA we care deeply about the health and well-being of elderly people, which is why we guarantee that all the meals we distribute are of high quality and nourishing.
While chocolates may not be traditionally considered nourishing, the sweet treat was a welcomed treat to satisfy their sweet tooth.
At FoodForward SA, we ensure that every donation reaches our 920 000 beneficiaries, whether to satisfy a craving or nourish their bodies.
Happy Mother’s Day from the FFSA team!