With hunger worsening across the Cape Flats, Sumaya’s Soup Kitchen in Bonteheuwel is appealing to the community for urgent support. Founder Sumaya Davids says donations have dried up, forcing her to turn away people who come knocking at her door in search of food.
Speaking to VOC News, Sumaya explained how the initiative began during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“It all started when a family friend, called me and said she wanted to give back to the community. She asked if I was willing to start a soup kitchen. At the time, I told her I didn’t even have a stove or pots,” Sumaya recalled. “But she insisted, saying we could start with dry food. She put money in my account, and from there, we borrowed pots and a stove from neighbours and started making soup.”
Sumaya says feeding the community has always been her passion, but the lockdown highlighted just how desperate the need was. “Our neighbours came together, about five or six of us, and we started cooking for those in need. It was a total lockdown, people had lost their jobs, and many couldn’t even afford a loaf of bread,” she said.
Today, the need is greater than ever. “Hunger” is something you can see in a person’s face. When someone knocks on your door and you have nothing to give, it breaks your heart. I always tell my children, don’t turn anyone away if we have four slices of bread, share it.”
Sumaya stressed that the problem goes beyond the visible homeless population. “There are families living in homes who go unnoticed, but they’re starving too. The little ones in the street often ask, ‘Aunty Sumaya, are you making food today?’ It’s heartbreaking to tell them I have nothing because donations have run dry.”
Sumaya’s Soup Kitchen has called on individuals, businesses, and community members to help sustain their feeding scheme. To support her mission, contact Sumaya Davids on 083 247 8940.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
