MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay Community Soup Drive, a non-profit organisation serving vulnerable communities since 2019, received a new fully equipped container kitchen on Tuesday 19 May.
Founded by William and Jeanette Sam, the organisation has spent the past seven years providing cooked meals to communities in areas such as Asla Park, Highway Park, Civic Park and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
They say the demand for food support has grown rapidly over time, prompting the expansion of their home-based operations into a makeshift cooking and storage facility.
For years, meals were prepared daily at the Sam family home in Highway Park.
The preparations began as early as 04:00 to ensure the food was ready for distribution at 14:30, when the children and adults began queuing for this aid.
The organisation currently serves meals to Benevolent Park Old Age Home on Mondays, to communities in Highway Park, Civic Park and Asla Park on Tuesdays, and to additional surrounding areas, including Ext 13, on Thursdays.
However, the Sams said the increasing scale of operations placed significant strain on the family's residential property, which effectively became a daily community feeding site.
The turning point came when American couple David Peterson and Teresa Frank, who own property in Mossel Bay, encountered the issue during a visit.
After meeting with the founders and visiting the site, they engaged their church in the United States, the Refuge Church, which committed the funding towards a dedicated kitchen facility.
The solution involves the installation of a converted container kitchen, designed and built by companies in George and Mossel Bay. The new facility is expected to restore privacy to the Sam family while improving the organisation's ability to prepare and distribute meals.
Anyone wishing to assist the cause or get involved may contact William Sam on 082 387 6340 or the drive's chairperson, Gillian Jansen, on 078 331 6542.
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