They visited one the African Children’s Feeding Scheme community centres to assist with planting a vegetable garden that will feed the 60 children who live there.
The players and staff set out by digging and fertilising the soil to get it ready to plant the vegetables. While inside the centre, the rest of the group got the opportunity to prepare sandwiches and meet the kids that are currently fed there.
The feeding scheme dates back to 1945, when the late Bishop Trevor Huddleston established soup kitchens in winter for hungry children in Alexandra and Soweto. Five years later, the first permanent feeding centre was established and the scheme fed 4 000 children daily.
The needs of the communities they serve have increased significantly in recent years, mainly due to HIV/AIDS, which has left many families without breadwinners. More recently, the global economic recession, which has led to job losses, has compounded the problem. They now feed up to 31 000 children daily.
The feeding centre operates throughout Soweto, Kagiso, Tshepisong in the West Rand, Alexandra, Thembisa, Kwa-Thema and Tsakane on the East Rand.