By Loushe Jordaan Gilbert

In its quest to make a difference in the lives of those who are struggling during these tough economic times, the Voice of the Cape, through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative will be teaming up with Masjied Al Sabr in Parkwood on Thursday 23^rd November 2023.

CSR spokesperson Jasmina Petersen said the one thing that humbles her every month is how grateful the recipients are of whatever the team gives them.

“We have been going to various areas for months now and every month we experience the same emotions and get the same gratitude from the people. They are so grateful for the little things that we tend to take for granted, so as much as people think we are doing a lot for others, they are reminding us of how grateful we should be for the little we think we have, because there are people who are worse off but still remain optimistic about life,” she said.

Providing more details as to what the team will be doing, Petersen said this time around the team will be distributing food to residents of Parkwood.

“We have teamed up with the mosque who normally feeds the community on a Wednesday, but we have arranged for them to do the feeding on Thursday so that we can take our team their and also participate in their live Thikr (prayer session),” she said.

When asked what the need is like in the community, Petersen said there are nearly 4000 people in need of a meal to sustain themselves.

“Unfortunately, we are unable to see to everyone, so we have narrowed it down to feeding 1000 adults and 1000 children. Children are the heart of our community and our future generation so we will be doing something extra to make them feel special and to steal their hearts,” she added.

Petersen said because embarking on a mass feeding initiative like this, the team is unable to do what they want to for the children, without the help of the community.

“We are once again appealing to our community to help us by dropping off any items that can be used to make up a little party pack for our little ones,” she stated.

For those who wish to assist, feel free to drop off all goods, such as chips, lollipops, sweets, biscuits, and anything you feel would put a smile on a childs face, at 2 Queens Park Avenue between 07:00am to 17:00pm. The cut-off date is 20 November 2023.