There is no doubt that the global Covid-19 pandemic is going to have devastating economic and social impact throughout the world. Also certain is that the most vulnerable among us will be hit the hardest. It is for this reason that the Thusong Projects Soup Kitchen has ramped up its food distribution service in the Vaal Triangle, serving over 1 000 people at least one hearty meal a day.

Thusong Projects is a strategic partner of the ArcelorMittal Foundation and together they invest in various community support and development initiatives focused on social welfare. Thusong Projects undertakes vital social responsibility work through donations of food and essential items to numerous NGOs, mostly charities, in Saldanha, Newcastle and the Vaal Triangle, and also delivers basic skills training and job creation initiatives in areas as diverse as sewing, arts and crafts and urban and commercial farming.

“As a community development organisation and an essential service under the category of ‘Care Services, Social Relief of Distress’, it is critical for the soup kitchen to operate during the Covid-19 lockdown, which is bringing extreme hardship to our local communities,” says Lindiwe Mahlangu, Managing Director of Thusong Projects.

“During our normal operation, the Thusong Projects Soup Kitchen donates 4 000 litres of soup per week (800 litres a day) and 445 loaves of bread weekly (about 110 loaves a day) to 60 beneficiary organisations that serve the soup in various areas within the Sedibeng District,” explains Mahlangu. “However, there was a clear need to do more and we are working with a number of beneficiaries and donors to ensure that we can extend our reach as far as possible to those most in need.”

Management of the soup kitchen is working with beneficiary organisations and, in some cases, local law enforcement to ensure that distribution is handled in an orderly and compliant manner, in line with social distancing requirements of the lockdown regulations. The Thusong staff also adhere to the highest levels of personal hygiene and are provided with the necessary PPE to safeguard their health while interacting with community members. Thusong Projects donated 100 washable masks, hand sanitisers and disposable gloves to volunteers at the homeless shelters run by the Department of Social Development.

“Our aim, as the ArcelorMittal Foundation, is to become brokers of hope, uplifting people, improving their quality of life and creating opportunities for their long-term development,” says Freddie Swart, Group Manager: ArcelorMittal Foundation, South Africa. “That’s what transforming tomorrow is all about.”