We are a group of friends with a common desire to help the needy in any way that we can.

This group originally started as a “Soup Kitchen”, feeding the homeless and less fortunate people with a healthy home-cooked meal every third Sunday of the month at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg.

The preparation of the food is always done the previous evening which also serves as an opportunity to get together and discuss the possibilities of other ways in which we could assist the community.

All donations received are through “word-of-mouth”. To ensure that contributions are received, the people involved in the group use their influence at their workplaces and also lobby family and friends to support to this worthy cause. The co-operation and assistance received has been heart-warming. The efforts of those who have been involved has been contagious and many more willing hands have pitched in to assist in some way or another. Even young children have not hesitated to donate their toys to those less fortunate than they.  The response has been overwhelming!

At the end of the year we prepare a special Christmas lunch with all the trimmings and hand out  gift packs including basic items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, facecloths and shampoo - essential items that many people cannot afford. Some of these items are donated by friends and work colleagues.  Donations of facecloths, soap, hair shampoo and conditioner are also generously donated by the Southern Sun hotel in Grayston and The Crowne Plaza in Rosebank. There are many others whom we don’t know but who hear about our community service and donate items for the needy. People from all walks of life get involved, especially when they see the pictures of the people whom we assist. We too derive great benefit from the work that we do - the appreciation and joy on the faces of all those who receive the parcels!

We are all volunteers and do not make requests for monetary donations - that is not the purpose of the group. The healthy meals we serve are prepared by hand with love. We provide the ingredients ourselves and also receive donations of ingredients from friends and shops. There are occasions where there is a need for an ingredient, and a donor makes a financial contribution in order for us to purchase the item if they cannot buy it themselves.

We also receive excellent quality reject bedding which is donated to orphanages, old age homes and homes for the mentally and physically disabled, as well as to TB patients living in shacks in Alexander.

Our “group of friends” has grown considerably and it is with passion and enthusiasm that we continue our efforts. It is through the generous donations (not monetary) from individuals that we are able to venture into numerous communities to make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate than us.