a day ago
Young chef transports food via wheelbarrow to quell hunger in his community
Young chef transports food via wheelbarrow to quell hunger in his community
A 23-year-old passionate professional young chef is using his culinary talents to feed the homeless, underprivileged school learners and elderly people from his community this winter.
Born and bred in Ekangala in the far east of Pretoria, Kamogelo Kgotso Baloyi has always understood the need for a warm meal as he was raised by his grandmother, who worked as a domestic worker.
His culinary journey is rooted in his upbringing and faith.
'Growing up in the church has shaped my values, as I drew more inspiration from our church's initiative called Tau Project. Through the project, the church would reach out to communities and give back food parcels, build houses, donate school uniforms and stationery, said Baloyi.
He said the initiative inspired him to show God's love through sharing.
Baloyi's soup drive feeds over 100 people.
The beneficiaries receive a cup of soup and two slices of bread.
He said this good deed was born out of his childhood experiences and the desire to give.
'The motivation behind the soup drive is that during my childhood, we used to get food from the feeding scheme at school.
'A lot of learners were getting fed through that programme,' he said.
One day, he decided he wanted to do the same for other people.
Despite challenges like transportation and limited resources, Baloyi's eager vision to make a difference within his community, motivated by his belief and the support from his family, panned out to a resounding success.
He said his sisters and grandmother would often help with the cooking and packaging of bread.
'At the moment, I am doing everything from my grandmother's house. I am using her stove, electricity and water, including storage for food donations.'
Baloyi said they chose a neutral place where the community would be able to get to without struggling.
'We currently do not have a car, so I use a wheelbarrow to transport all the things we need. We run the initiative from our own pockets and the donations we get from individuals and businesses,' he explained.
He also emphasised the support they receive from his community, as they embrace the golden idea to help end hunger.
'The community of Ekangala were actually in disbelief that there are actually such blessed people out there who still have humanity within them.'
He said their positive remarks are what pushed him to continue with the initiative, as some said it was their first and probably last meal for the day.
He encouraged people who aspire to become like him that no amount is too little or too much for them to bless the next person.
''Motho ke motho ka batho' (a person is a person because of other people) is a commonly used phrase that motivates me to keep doing what I'm doing unto others, and in that way, I also get blessings from God,' Baloyi said.
He said that he plans to grow the initiative from what it is into something bigger, like the well-known NGO Gift of the Givers.
'I am also looking forward to having my own restaurants and employing the people in my community since the unemployment rate is extremely high.'
Baloyi said they are currently seeking cooking equipment and donations to feed more people.
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