New kitchen to serve hungry children

CANDICE BRADFIELD

HELPING Hands Soup Kitchen in Ekuphumleni opened their brand new kitchen and toilet on Monday.

The soup kitchen is run by Gladys Hani who started it in 1998 when she saw street children were eating newspaper dissolved in water.

Hani, who is an auxiliary social worker at Child Welfare, previously prepared all the meals in her own kitchen. She feeds about 60 children one meal a day, five days a week. Some are as young as one and the oldest are 14-years-old. Only children who Hani knows come from disadvantaged families benefit from these meals.

Last year Heike Neuhausser, who is a regular visitor to Kenton-on-Sea, asked a Rotary Club in Germany to support the soup kitchen. They provided funding to build a kitchen and a toilet on Hani's property.

"I'm so happy, it's like I'm dreaming,” she told TotT.

In 2002, Hani approached Round Table which provided funding for a few years. This is when Ron and Angie Engert started to help feed the then 22 children.

The soup kitchen now receives R2000 worth of bread every month which is funded by the Children's Feeding Trust in Port Elizabeth via Child Welfare in the Kenton/Bushmans area.

HAPPY: Gladys Hani (back right), who has been running a soup kitchen for needy children for the past 14 years, has received a new kitchen thanks to overseas donors. She is assisted by Nontunthuzelo Tyokwana (back right), and in front are some of the children who come to the soup kitchen, (from left) Angel Makhinza, Atula Faba and Sinovuyo Chani Picture: CANDICE BRADFIELD

Everything else that is needed including vegetables, fruit, meat, oil, samp, rice, beans, peanut butter, jam and spices is bought by the Engerts. They also give the children a parcel of sweets, biscuits, fruit and a loaf of bread at Easter and Christmas.

Hani is assisted by Nontunthuzelo Tyokwana and some of the older girls who help to dish out the meals. The children receive soup and bread or sandwiches and fruit.

There is a wendy house on the property which was funded by a Dutch family whose daughter was a Stenden South Africa student and who did her internship at the local Child Welfare. Hani plans to use this as a place for the children to eat and do their homework.

For the past three years the soup kitchen has received money from a German family and their church group after their daughter stayed with the Engerts for her gap year. These funds buy the children clothes at Christmas.

Ron said if the German Rotary Club donates more money they will be able to build a courtyard with clear roofing outside the kitchen.

Wharf Street Fruit and Veg has been assisting by providing some fruit at a lower price.

Anyone who would like to help or find out more can call Hani on 079-620-2967.