One of our goals at JCS is to make sure that there are as few hungry people in our community as possible. The urgent need to ensure all members of the community have food in their homes inspired the establishment of our foodbank in 2016.
Jewish Community Services Cape have their own food initiative known as The Tikvah Foodbank where we feed our recipients every month with both perishable and non-perishable kosher food items.
With much gratitude, the JCS Tikvah Foodbank have a permanent location at Highlands House. With this move, we have been able to increase the size of our operation to accommodate the more than 100% increase in recipients who have joined our distribution since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic.
We provide kosher non-perishable groceries once a month to our recipients. In addition, we distribute fresh fruit and vegetables, breads, shallots, eggs and toiletries to our recipients every two weeks.
The Tikvah Foodbank relies heavily on the work of our volunteers who always make themselves available when the need arises. Whether it is stocking up our shelves, preparing and packing for our distribution, or delivering our heavy and overflowing parcels, they are always willing to assist.
In South Africa, the ever-rising cost of living, along with the high unemployment rate means that many families struggle to make ends meet.
For these families, fruit and vegetables are often regarded as a luxury food item and therefore not seen as a necessity, placing healthy eating in the backseat. The JCS Tikvah Foodbank ensures that our families are able to enjoy these items ensuring they have a balanced diet.
On the High holidays, our recipients will receive overflowing food parcels including ready-made food items as well as goodie bags relevant to those festivals ensuring that they celebrate with respect and dignity that they deserve. When we are able, we provide our families with ready-made kosher meals to enjoy during the month.
This is all made possible through generous donations, pledges and annual fundraising events coordinated through Jewish Community Services.