Endings and Beginnings for the Melville Food Program
This is a quick post to announce the Melville Food Program, which I’ve blogged about many times during lockdown (see here and here and here), did its last large-scale food parcel distribution at Heritage Baptist Church today. This amazing group of volunteers, led by Tanya and Sean Gardiner, have given out more than 5,400 food parcels (around 300,000 total meals) to Melville area residents over the past four months.
Obviously this is sad news, as the need in our community is still very great and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. But this huge intervention – fully volunteer-run and funded on the fly – was a temporary stopgap, meant to keep as many bellies full as possible during the harshest months of the lockdown. It simply couldn’t last forever.
But this is not the last you’ll hear of this grass-roots initiative. The masterminds behind the Melville Food Program are taking one week off and then they’ll be back in business, supporting the community in new, sustainable ways. The program will also continue to fundraise with help from its nonprofit partner, the Viva Foundation. I’ll update you as soon as I have more news to share.
Today I just want to commend the Melville Food Program volunteers for a job well done. In fact, “well done” doesn’t cut it. I have never before encountered such a positive, hardworking, talented group of people and I’m incredibly grateful for the tremendous contribution they’ve made – and will continue to make – to my community.
And thanks to everyone reading this post who has donated to the program since I started writing about it in May. I wish I had a way of counting up all of your donations – I know it’s A LOT and you’ve helped feed hundreds of people.
As I said, the Melville Food Program isn’t ending. So if you want to donate, please use the banking details below or contact me.
Name: Viva Foundation
Branch: FNB Olympus Plaza Code 258155
Acc Nr.: 622 4884 3270
Reference: Melville
SWIFT: FIRNZAJJZXXX
Viva, Melville. Viva!
Well done to this awesome team!!
Also thanks to you for making me aware of this initiative
your pics are amazing also the words you’ve documented this whole thing so professionally and beautifully.
Thanks so much Sandi. xxx
I love such ‘do good’ posts, especially now when we have so much negativity around us. Well done to all.
Thanks Gail. It certainly is hard to be positive, but this particular group makes it hard not to be.
An amazing team! And I would like to add: thank you, Heather, for sharing and posting those awesome photos!
Aw, thanks Catrina ????
Hi Heather, Tried to use the pictures for my newsletter to the sponsors overseas but they seem to be protected as I cannot copy paste them. Can you sent them to me by @mail [email protected] Again lovely blog and it was a real special morning with our team. So great to be part of this positivity and energy. This is what we need most at this time.
Hi Maarten, no problem will send them now.