Skip to content
HelpBLESS
Join free
Browse needsPeopleFeedDonationsHow it worksPost a needSign in
MoneyFood & hungerUrgent

Weekly meals for families facing hunger in Mthatha

Help keep a free food pantry open for families facing hunger in Mthatha.

๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa969 views
Francois R. Ndlovu
Email verified
Mthatha
Since 2019, our volunteer team has run the Sunday Shelf every Friday from the back of the old library basement. We started with 30 families, and now we feed 397 each week. Donations have dropped by about 57% this winter, while the line has grown every single week. We rely on volunteers - 16 of us - and keep no salaries or overhead. I buy staples at wholesale prices at the Mthatha market and keep every receipt. Each $15 feeds a family of four for a week. I'll post the weekly shopping receipts and a photo of the shelves each Sunday. Where the $650 goes: โ€ข Rice, beans, flour and oil (wholesale): $360 โ€ข Fresh vegetables and fruit: $250 โ€ข Baby formula and diapers: $40 Ask me anything below before you decide. I'd rather you were sure. - Francois
#food-pantry#hunger#volunteer-led#food

Updates from Francois

  1. 81% there. I met with the wholesaler and confirmed the amounts. Thank you.

  2. Thank you all. We're at 26% now ($169). I'm honestly stunned. we've booked the dates and paid the deposit.

Donations

RecentTop gifts
  • Lubna Rima Rashid ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง ยท $20

    โ€œEvery little bit. Thought of Francois all day after reading this. - Manchesterโ€

  • Anonymous ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง ยท $20
  • Qasim Tariq Syed ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ ยท $58

    โ€œOnly $58 but hope it helps. - Rawalpindiโ€

  • Enzo Tiago Sampaio ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท ยท $25
  • Cooper T. Hughes ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ ยท $10

    โ€œEvery little bit. Thought of Francois all day after reading this. - Springfieldโ€

  • Kai N. Rojas ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ ยท $50

    โ€œMy neighbor told me about this one. - Ballaratโ€

  • Amit D. Rawat ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ ยท $25
  • Ronaldo Carvalho ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท ยท $50
  • Anonymous ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท ยท $25
  • Pavel Nahid Haque ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ ยท $20

    โ€œBe well. Hope the April deadline works out. - Khulnaโ€

  • Humaira Nazia Hashmi ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ ยท $50
  • Sakda Banjong Prasertsak ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ ยท $10

    โ€œThought of Francois all day after reading this. - Bangkokโ€

  • Dimas Ahmad Cahyono ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ ยท $25
  • Anonymous ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ ยท $100
  • Camelia Maria Mocanu ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด ยท $10

    โ€œWish I could do more. My brother told me about this one. - Timiศ™oaraโ€

  • Ahmed Rizwan Bhatti ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ ยท $58
  • Lourdes A. Villanueva ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ ยท $10

    โ€œBest of luck. Thought of Francois all day after reading this.โ€

  • Greyson F. Stone ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง ยท $50
  • Pamela J. Shaw ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ยท $10

    โ€œBlessings. Thought of Francois all day after reading this. - Red Deerโ€

  • Rajiv Bhatt ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ ยท $10

Reviews

Only people who gave to this need, or whose offer to help was accepted, can review it.

No reviews yet.

Questions & comments

Ask before you give. Email-verified members can comment and ask questions - no donation needed.

Sign in or create a free account to join the conversation.

  • Peace Joy Idowu

    Hang in there. Looking forward to the next update. We're a small family in Konya but we're thinking of you. Love from Konya.

    • Victor Adewale Tijani

      Rooting for you, Francois. Reading this made my day a bit heavier but I'm glad I did. Put this on a community board in Galway this morning.

      • Amir Walid NasserID verified

        wishing you the best. Hope you get there. The breakdown of costs made it easy to trust. Blessings.

        • Silvia H. Cruz

          Good luck, Francois. This could happen to any of us. We're a small family in Toronto but we're thinking of you. Greetings from Toronto

          • So-yeon Sung

            You're not alone, Francois. Great idea, hope you get there. This is the second need I've supported on here and the first that made me cry. Blessings.

            • Parvathi K. Nadar

              Keep going. Everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes. Don't be hard on yourself for asking. Greetings from Lagos.

              $784.50 raised of $650

              Give

              More people who need help