The Princess Methodist Church’s soup kitchen is closing its doors
Any members who want to help can donate tinned food, non-perishable food, or make up their own parcels with food to supply to families and community members in need.
The Princess Methodist Church (PMC) has been reaching out to the hungry people in the community for the past 20 years, by providing meals twice a week at their soup kitchen.
Ruth Fynes, a member of the PMC, Erma Borland and Alta van Rooyen, serve the poor with a bowl of soup and pap or bread, which Ruth explained is often the only meal the visitors to the soup kitchen receive for the day, or even the week.
“There are so many hungry, poor, homeless people in the community. We get between 60 and 80, and sometimes even a 100 people every week whom we supply with food,” Ruth explained.
For the past 20 years, Witpoortjie Pick and Pay has contributed to the soup kitchen every week by donating the needed vegetables and bread. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to start and keep this kitchen running,” Ruth said gratefully.
This year, PMC had to make a hard decision, and after thinking it through and weighing all pros and cons, it was decided to close the soup kitchen’s doors, due to the lack of food supplies. The soup kitchen has also been manned by some of the older members of PMC and the community, and they need to look after their health too. “Unfortunately, we don’t get the quantity of supplies we used to get. We might receive some donations once a week or every three weeks. All of us are also retired, and if one of us gets sick, it’s a struggle to keep the kitchen going that week. It has been a very rewarding outreach, but unfortunately it is hard. When it’s time, it’s time. The decision was made to close at the end of November,” she said.
She added that they still want to help the community where they can, and said, “We are still looking to build up stock to make up food parcels and supply them to the needy families from December. But, to be able to do this, we will need the community’s help.”
Any members in the community who wants to help can donate tinned food, any non-perishable food, or make up their own parcels with food to supply to families and members in need.
For parcel or donation drop-off or more information, contact Ruth on 076 067 1279. Donations can also be dropped off at the Princess Methodist Church, 19 Jan Van Rooyen Street, Witpoortjie.
