Helicopter Delivered Food to Rural KZN When Trucks and Planes Couldn't

Photo Credit: MercyAIDS

MercyAIDS coordinated a food drop to the Butterfly Palliative Home using a helicopter because their only store had been looted, and the roads were shut down.

Kwa, South Africa (21 July 2021) – MercyAIDS jumped to send food to the Butterfly Palliative Home in Northern KwaZulu-Natal when it became clear food would be a problem. First, they sent a helicopter filled with food, then a plane and now they are filling a truck!

MercyAIDS is a non-profit that focuses on supporting orphaned and vulnerable children. Since the pandemic, they operate in Cape Town’s Northern suburbs, working with soup kitchens to supply food and to create sustainable vegetable gardens. Their current focus is addressing the hunger crisis.

When the violence erupted in KZN, they felt it necessary to help address the emerging food crises. The Butterfly Palliative Care home was caught in the protests. Their access roads were blocked off, and the only store in the area was looted bare.

The only way MercyAIDS could get food to the home was via helicopter. They managed to access the local hospital’s helipad and coordinated the entire food run in 24 hours. With contributions from sponsors, they were able to cover the costs of the helicopter flight.

As time went on, they were able to identify a small rural road that would be a safe runway and a second food drop was arranged. A small aeroplane was then filled with all the supplies needed to feed residents of the home and pack food parcels to help the surrounding community.

Helicopter

Now that the community surrounding the Butterfly Palliative Home has been provided for, MercyAIDS are looking to the Southern KwaZulu-Natal area to lend a helping hand. They have a truck heading from Wilderness, and it needs to be filled.

MercyAIDS is asking for support to fill the truck with food for organisations and communities in need. The truck is leaving Walmer Methodist Church on Saturday, 24 July 2021 (83 Main Road, Walmer, Gqeberha). You can find out more via their website here; included are the food items they need and the communities that will benefit from the food drop.