A Tafelsig woman who started a soup kitchen three years ago is battling to secure funding to expand her community feeding programme.
Sharna Bernhardt runs Sharna’s Helping Hands, a non-profit organisation that feeds seniors and children every Thursday from donations and her own pocket.
Bernhardt started the initiative with friends.
“We can’t just receive all the time, we must give back,” said Bernhardt.
Registered status
As the outreach grew, Bernhardt realised that she needed registration.
“Then I decided to open the NPO, register my NPO to make it legal. And you know, so that people can see
that it’s a real thing, not a fake thing,” she said.
But Bernhardt says funding remains a major challenge.
“My customers at the pharmacy where I work will give me potatoes to make a meal. But it’s not enough to make three to four pots of soup. We can only do one to two pots,” she said.
Bernhardt applied to the Department of Social Development for funding but was told they were too late for the yearly allocation, so she plans to apply again in April.
She has also approached various businesses for sponsorship but says she consistently receives negative responses.
Expanding services
Beyond the weekly soup kitchen, Sharna’s Helping Hands runs stationery drives and Christmas parties. Recently, Bernhardt gave out tops to local children who used them to start a soccer team.
In February, she organised a fun day for elderly residents, taking them out to restaurants when sponsorship was available.
“I try to help people that don’t even get out of their homes, they’re always inside,” she said.
The soup kitchen too is not stationary but moves to various Mitchell’s Plain suburbs where there is a need.
Anyone interested in supporting Sharna’s Helping Hands can contact the organisation on 073 530 5472.
