In a heart-warming display of community spirit, a generous donation of naartjies by local sheriff, Tommy Maulgas, set Selamma Oersen from Humansdorp on a 21-year journey of serving her community through a thriving soup kitchen.
Oersen’s passion for community service was sparked by her childhood in Hankey, where she witnessed her mother, Sarah van Rooyen, selflessly providing meals to their neighbours from their family kitchen.
As a child, she found her mother’s charitable ways baffling, even jokingly calling them “crazy”. Little did she know that once she moved to 7de Laan, Humansdorp, in 2002, she would follow in her mother’s footsteps to serve her community.
Inspired by her daughter Shara-Lee’s friends visiting after school for a meal, Oersen began considering sharing her kitchen with the community.
However, it was her committee work with residents that revealed the urgent need for a soup kitchen in 7de Laan.
Finally, in 2003, Oersen’s soup kitchen dreams took off, thanks to Maulgas’s kindness when he donated a bakkie full of naartjies, which she sold for 20c each to raise startup funds.
Despite only officially registering her soup kitchen as a non-profit organisation in 2020, since May 2003, she has continued to serve the community with meals three times a week.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 14:30, Oersen welcomes at least 100 community members for meals, with 17 vulnerable individuals receiving free food deliveries.
In addition to this, she extends her community feeding initiative to the last Sunday of each month, catering for individuals dependent on social grants who face food shortages before their next payment.
“Usually from the 25th of the month people who are dependent on social grants often battle without food while they anxiously wait for the first day of the new month to receive their grant money,” said Oersen.
Although initially focused on feeding young children after school, her soup kitchen has evolved to serve people of all ages, with numbers increasing from 100 to 150 during school holidays.
Oersen’s community commitment extends far beyond food assistance, as she collaborates with the South African Police Services to address local crime and partners with St Francis Hospice to provide medical support to terminally ill patients.
“Many times, people from the community knock on my door when someone is ill and depending on their health condition, I connect them with St Francis Hospice,” said Oersen.
She further expressed gratitude for her supportive community and family, particularly her husband Shawn; however, she emphasised the ongoing need for assistance, especially food donations, to sustain her soup kitchen.
“I am thankful for the trust that the community has placed in me, and I am also grateful to my sponsors who always assist me when I need food donations,” said Oersen.
For more information or to contribute towards the soup kitchen, contact Selamma Oersen at 076 809 5764 or Shawn Oersen at 079 269 7538.
