Penny Appeal has been moved into action by the sight of all the homeless people living in and around the Durban area so they are launching a food trailer.
Durban, South Africa – Penny Appeal SA is a charity working to better the lives of the increasing homeless and displaced in Durban. They have come up with a solution to make sure that societies most vulnerable can go to sleep with a full stomach.
On the 4th of April, they are deploying a food trailer into Durban to help feed the homeless. They encourage people to stop giving people money and to rather buy meal tokens for the food trailer. The tokens can be given to anyone and used to redeem a meal from the food trailer. This is their pilot project and hope to see it succeed but it can’t be done without public participation.
‘The Feed Our World initiative takes shape in the form of a mobile food trailer that will be distributing hot nutritional meals to those in need with the help of public donors.
Public donors will be able to buy tokens at the Penny Appeal SA offices, and other central outlets for as little as R20 each or R600 for a month long supply. The token/s can then be handed out to the needy, who will in turn present the tokens at the Penny Appeal food trailer feeding sites where they will be provided with a hearty warm meal.’
There will be two meal token options, the one-meal token will be orange and the month token will be white to distinguish between the types. According to Penny Appeal, the tokens will be made out of eco-friendly materials in an attempt to be more considerate of the environment, and are 100% recyclable within the project scope
‘The idea was born when the Penny Appeal team noted the drastic increase in the of homeless people increasing on the streets of Durban and surrounding areas, and witnessing people sleep in the streets, under bridges and on bridges such as the Greyville Bridge.
It raised concerns as to where these poverty stricken people get their meal from each day and how the team could help them get a basic meal to sustain them.
Being very aware of the challenge motorists faced when handing out cash at intersections and traffic lights, the idea of a guaranteed meal was born.’
The food trailer was developed to try to ease the effects of poverty and help those in need.
“The project aims to address poverty through fulfilling a basic human need [food],” – Shahnaaz Paruk, CEO of Penny Appeal SA
She added: “In true Penny Appeal philosophy, we believe it’s the small changes which make big differences. We’re placing the power of giving back with the donor, so they can hand over a token, knowing full well that the money will not be smoked, sold or misused – except for a hot meal.”
The food trailer will operate in areas around Durban for now, with the intention to expand to other cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, at a later stage should efforts be successful.
The trailer will move around areas in Durban to reach the homeless where they can exchange their tokens for meals prepared. It will be identifiable through its vibrant Penny Appeal orange colouring and the logo design which will be visible to all and easily identifiable for those with tokens.
Feed the World attempts to not only feed the poor but also give the public the opportunity to exchange their money for an assured meal instead of just giving their money straight to the homeless and not being sure if they will be able to get their meal in the end.
The one-meal token will cost only R20.00 and the one-month token, R600.00. For more information on how to make donations and the work Penny Appeal SA does, you can visit their website here or call them on: (031) 110 0573
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