- Homeless people experience separation from families more acutely over the Christmas period.
- A number of organisations are pulling out all the stops to make this year a special one for the poorest in the city.
- MES says there is definitely a need for people to work together over the festive season.
Christmas may be a wonderful time of the year for most - but, for people experiencing homelessness, it can be particularly difficult.
Missing out on Christmas dinner is a sad reality for many, but that's why various organisations have offered to step in this year.
Ladles of Love, an NPO in Cape Town, runs four weekly soup kitchens - every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings as well as on Saturday - according to the charity's founder, Danny Diliberto.
However, between 13 December and 16 January, they run the Feed5000 campaign in collaboration with the Hope Exchange, to between 200 and 250 people.
"We provide a lunch every day, Monday to Sunday, between those dates because a lot of people that do help the homeless with food close down over the festive season. So we step in and make sure that they still get at least one meal a day, every day," said Diliberto.
On Christmas, Ladles of Love will provide a "nicer" meal of a quarter chicken, pasta salad, coleslaw and rice.
"All our food is freshly prepared and very tasty. I need to stress that," said Diliberto.
They have also made a call to ask people to donate 500 cupcakes, so each person can get one with their juice.
According to Ilse Maartens, a branch manager at Cape Town-based Mould Empower Serve (MES), there is definitely a need for people to work alongside organisations like theirs over the festive season.
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MES' Safe Space houses 65 people – 18 women and 47 men. Their second phase accommodation facility can house up to 14 people.
"We also have three drop-in centres in Durbanville, Parow and Belville. There, we help people daily – anything from 20 to 80 people – with relief services like food, clothing and hygiene packs," she said.
On Christmas Day, MES, in collaboration with the Bellville Presbyterian Church, prepares a three- to four-course meal for the most vulnerable.
"We host a Christmas dinner every year. This year, similar to last year, will be a takeaway meal of chicken and gammon. It will be taking place at 11:00 on Christmas Day for 250 people. We hand out tickets a couple of weeks before," said a minister at the church, John Comninos.
He added that each person will also receive a Christmas hamper, made up of 15 items, including toiletries and treats.
Maartens stressed that MES is in desperate need of volunteers for this time to assist with two- to three-hour shifts because their staff is tired and overworked.
The Haven Night Shelter manager, Waheeda Toefy, said there is a greater need for help for the homeless over the festive season.
"It's a time when families celebrate together, and homeless people experience their separation or alienation from their families more acutely," Toefy said.
During the festive season, they reach out to those still on the street, inviting them to try the Haven as a pathway out of homelessness, she said.
All meals and assistance provided are rendered at the Haven shelter itself. They are focused on improving the relationship that Haven clients may have with their families toward reunification.
"Where reunification isn't desirable, we help the client to integrate into a community of their choice," she said.
Another organisation that is always active around Christmas time is Gift of the Givers.
They distributed 5 000 food hampers to underprivileged families around the Western Cape, working with local churches and clinics.
They will also be feeding over 6 000 around the Western Cape on Christmas day.
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