Thanks to the enormous hearts and incredible efforts of two Cape Flats brothers, fewer people went to bed hungry during a time of uncertainty and stress. The awesome duo has managed to feed one million hungry mouths with an amazing feeding initiative that they started when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Joe and Faieck Samodien started the Invisible Hands feeding scheme last year as a way to help struggling residents who were affected by the pandemic. Even more incredible is the fact that the brothers celebrated a huge milestone this past Saturday, feeding one million mouths with around 105 pots of food before distributing meals to various Cape Flats communities, including Mitchells Plain, Delft, Hanover Park, Atlantis, and Paarl.
According to News24, Mayor Dan Plato even managed to stop by to congratulate the pair on their incredible efforts. Noodle broth was on the menu for the organisation’s event, and the Mayor left some rave reviews.
“The mayor was astounded that we are able to make pots and pots of food in the little space we have at my home,” said Joe.
The initiative had humble beginnings, starting in Joe’s garage in Wynberg with Faieck sponsoring the first pot of food when he received his salary.
“We literally just had 80 cents in our kitty. We had no idea how we were going to pull the food scheme off, but we knew we needed to feed people that didn’t have the means to buy or get a plate of food,” Faieck said.
“Our very first pot of food was a pot of chicken akni. We ended up feeding 250 people in the Parkwood area. It was wonderful to see so many people grateful for the food,” said Joe.
The non-profit can now cook up a storm for communities in need by donations through fundraisers and the various contacts that Joe has in the hospitality industry. The pair are doing incredible things and have the long-term goal of moving to larger premises and helping even more communities.
Visit their Facebook page for more on this initiative.
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Picture: Invisible Hands Facebook / Pexels