It all came about when I noticed a surge in the number of beggars standing at the robots, desperately asking for money from drivers to help make ends meet!
Johannesburg, South Africa (25 June 2020) – An ordinary South African woman and business entrepreneur has found a way to feed the hungry and keep Morningside clean. Wendy Malpage, owner of homemade fresh lemon cold drink business, Wendy’s Lemonade, started her uplifting initiative during the nationwide lockdown. The country’s stringent lockdown regulations saw many people losing their jobs, leaving them without any income, causing numerous families to go hungry.
“It all came about when I noticed a surge in the number of beggars standing at the robots, desperately asking for money from drivers to help make ends meet,” says Wendy.
“I started collecting donations from a wide range of people and businesses.”
Wendy selects ten people every Tuesday and Thursday and gives each person 20 black rubbish bags. They are tasked to fill these bags with rubbish from the rivers, and in return, she provides them each with a food parcel to the value of R150.
“Our food parcels – which include 5kg mielie meal, 2kg rice, oil, tinned fish and baked beans, sugar, jam and bread – can feed a single person for more than two weeks and a small family for about a week,” she says.
To date, Wendy’s project has fed 90 families and has resulted in the removal of 1900 black bags of rubbish from the Sand River in Morningside.
Wendy’s project is helping to alleviate poverty and prevent environmental pollution.
“I’m giving these very desperate people a job and food while simultaneously teaching them about the importance of keeping our environment clean,” she smiles. “I believe it helps to give their lives a real sense of purpose.”
Wendy enjoys spending time talking to the people she is helping, and she has also provided hundreds of them with masks during the pandemic, as well as educating them about the importance of wearing their masks.
Wendy, together with the help of many others who have generously donated money towards her project, have stood in solidarity to act and make a big difference in many people’s lives.
But Wendy would love to see this project expand into something even greater, by being able to help poor people in other neighbourhoods and she is eager to grow the support by receiving even more food and monetary donations.
If anyone is interested in contributing towards Wendy’s Lemonade feeding and cleaning initiative that’s truly making a difference in the lives of the poor, please Whatsapp her on 083 326 6097 or email her at info@wendyslemonade.co.za.