As the effects from the pandemic linger, Covid-19 continues to take its toll on communities across the globe. One soup kitchen in Montagu is seeing a surge in demand for meals.
The charity organisation, Rescue Among Many (RAM), has been operating in the area for 12 years, providing meals for seasonal farm workers and unemployed residents who struggle to put food on the table.
According to co-founder Carol Bruton, the pandemic has exacerbated the already difficult living conditions in the town, with challenges such as water shortages and reduced crops making it even harder for families to make ends meet.
She says that RAM prepares 2 200 meals per week, including breakfast during school holidays, to ensure that the community’s most vulnerable members have access to nutritious food.
‘We work with farmworkers, and the farmers have reduced their crops because of the water shortages,’ Bruton explained.
‘The town is a tourist, winemaking town, and these two services were affected during the lockdown. The town took a big knock from level 5 to now.It will take a few years to recover fully.’
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‘Things have escalated as we have grown in the community. We need to cook more than we did to alleviate poverty in another part of the town.’
To keep up with the growing demand for meals, RAM has recently expanded its soup kitchens. However, the organisation is in need of donations to continue providing for the community’s needs.
Bruton has appealed to aid organisation Gift of the Givers for food donations to ensure continued provision of meals and other basic needs.
In response, Gift of the Givers has pledged to donate two wheelchairs and 200 food hampers to families headed by elderly and disabled residents. The organisation also committed to supporting RAM soup kitchens for the next twelve months.
The Montagu community is one of many across South Africa that has been hit hard by the pandemic, highlighting the ongoing need for support from aid organisations and community members alike.
By working together, communities can ensure that everyone has access to the basic necessities of life, including nutritious meals.
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Picture: Carol Burton