Ladles of Love visited Takalani Educare, a dedicated Early Childhood Development centre in Delft on Tuesday 25 February. This formed part of the Feed the Future campaign that Ladles of Love initiated to provide nutritious meals to children from underprivileged communities.
Ladles of Love is a non-profit organisation based in Epping, which aims to provide meals to people living in abject poverty across the Cape Peninsula, Overstrand, Northern Cape and Gauteng. The project is the brainchild of Danny Diliberto, who started his first soup kitchen in 2014 serving hundreds of homeless people in Cape Town nutritious meals every week.
During the covid-pandemic the organisation grew exponentially, to be one of the largest non-profit providers of food relief in South Africa, serving impoverished communities via a network of 200 soup kitchens and ECD Centres. Since March 2020 Ladles of Love has procured and provided food to serve over 44,5 million meals and continues to feed 25 000 people a day, mostly children relying solely on funding and donations.
ECD centre visit in Delft
Ladles of Love provides nutritious meals to children from underprivileged communities across Cape Town, Johannesburg and parts of the Northern Cape. Most of the beneficiaries are from early childhood development (ECD) centres, and community kitchens in vulnerable areas. These children, ranging from 1 to 6 years of age, often come from households facing food insecurity. “Our programme ensures they receive the essential nutrition needed for healthy development, improved concentration in school, and overall well-being.
“We visited Takalani Educare, a dedicated early childhood development centre in Delft that supports young children by providing structured learning, play, and essential meals. This visit formed part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring children in underserved communities receive the necessary nutrition and support for a brighter future,” says Earl Kruger, Content Manager at Ladles of Love.
“The Feed the Future campaign is a long-term initiative aimed at addressing child hunger by encouraging corporate sponsorships of ECD centres. Through this campaign, businesses ‘adopt’ an ECD and commit to funding meals for a set number of children over a year. The goal is to feed 10 000 children daily, creating a sustainable impact on early childhood nutrition. This initiative not only provides meals but also raises awareness about food security, strengthens community partnerships, and ensures young children have a healthier, more promising start to life,” says Kruger.
