The following two letters and pictures express a sincere and heartfelt Thank You for food parcels received from the Archdiocese of Cape Town Covid-19 Food Parcel Campaign. Thank you to all who have donated to the Fund thus far in order to make this possible.
But they also express an ongoing cry for help. There is a real need here. Please consider a regular donation to the fund during this time of lockdown where families have little or no means to put food on their tables.
The first letter is a Facebook post From: “Inspire Children and Youth” in Riebeek Kasteel:
Thank you so much to the Archdiocese of Cape Town who donated 80 food parcels to the families on rural farms this past weekend. We were so excited that we began to distribute the food without any delay. Little did we know just how much this act of random kindness would mean to the 80 families. Many people cried, because they had nothing and nowhere to ask for food. Some stared with disbelief till they realised that the food was for them and their families. Little children danced and started singing. We were definitely NOT prepared for our own emotions when driving back to Middelpos farm. There was a silence mixed with many flashbacks of our own lives which are not much different to what was experienced during our distribution process.
It reminded us of that part in the movie called “In the line of duty” where the police officer, harshly and openly judged by a young internet journalist, told the journalist that she will never fully understand what it means to be a police officer trying to stay alive, until she walked a mile in his shoes.
We can safely say that we have walked more than a mile in the shoes of poverty. A journey that we know so well ourselves. Every time we deliver a food parcel to a family on a farm and go through the experiences described above, we come back to Middelpos not feeling like heroes, but with hearts filled with gratitude that we could be an instrument at a time like this. Thankful that our own poverty and daily needs did not make us blind to the needs of others.
When we say thank you to the Archdiocese of Cape Town, we say it from hearts of people who know generational cycles of poverty, who struggle daily but are so grateful to have this generous donation to help feed families and also feed our own souls with hope and motivation to keep going. Thank you so much Eugene for organising this and also to Archbishop Stephen Brislin, the Bishop and everyone else involved in making this donation possible. Please know that 80 families or 424 vulnerable children, women, disabled and elderly people on rural farms are eating. Thank you so much!
To everyone else who have made a donation so far. In total, we have distributed 162 food parcels so far, meaning nearly 900 people on rural farms have benefitted so far. Please know that this could not have been done without your generosity. Thank you so much!
If you would like to make a donation, please click on the link below. We are 128 food parcels short of our target and depending on the situation, we may have to start again and plant more vegetables. Thank you so much.
The second letter and pictures are from the Atlantis Rotary Club
Dear Sir/Madam
Please find attached our letter of thanks and gratitude as well as the list with signatures of recipients and pics of some. We are still awaiting the pics from Jakobus, Alfred and Ivanna. I just felt to send in what we have as soon as possible.
God bless you with all your endeavours.
Keep safe and keep healthy
Danny Pietersen
President
