A Witzenberg farmer helped feed 800 needy locals in the Western Cape area on the same day his mother was buried.

Rossouw Cillié, owner and managing director of Laastedrif Boerdery in Ceres, has been taking part in Food For Mzansi and Agri SA’s covid-19 feeding project. He donates tonne of fresh produce to the feeding project, helping to feed 800 people daily.

Unfortunately, Cillié’s 93-year-old mother, Irene, recently died. He buried her in the family farm’s garden, a space she loved dearly. Despite this hardship, he maintained his promise to donate fresh produce to nearly 800 Western Cape families in need.

“My mother was an exceptional person,” Cillié told Food for Mzanzi. “She was the queen of Laastedrif, the cornerstone of the farm. Our family value system comes from her. She cared and believed that it was more blessed to give than to receive.”

Irene and her family. Credit: Facebook

The Food for Mzanzi team was there to support Cillié upon his mother’s death. Together with 50 other volunteers from Scottsville in Kraaifontein, a local non-profit organisation called You, Me and Us held a memorial service for Irene.

Food For Mzansi editor Dawn Noemdoe says that there are many families in need, and that they are grateful for the farmers like Cillié who help them lend a helping hand.

“We’re a small team, and we honestly wished that we had the means to assist everyone. We are eternally grateful, though, that today we are able to support many organisations. Honestly, we could not have done this without Laastedrif and Agri SA. We couldn’t have done this without our farmers.”

Individuals and organisations who wish to support Food For Mzansi’s food project can e-mail co-founder Ivor Price on [email protected].

Source: Food for Mzanzi

Picture: Facebook / Laastedrif Boerdery in Ceres

 

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