Cape Town - Ahead of World Sandwich Day on Sunday, Ladles of Love in collaboration with Coronation Fund Managers returned to Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront for its annual Sarmiethon challenge where volunteers and donors teamed up to make a whopping 75 000 peanut butter and jam sandwiches for those in need in the Western Cape and Gauteng.
Now in its fifth year, this year’s Sarmiethon campaign focuses on the connection between nutrition and learning, with donations of sandwiches and nutrient-rich food going to 62 pre-schools across Cape Town and Johannesburg.
In addition to the ‘feel-good’ sandwich-making experience, the donations will enable the Ladles of Love Nourish Our Children programme to provide two healthy meals a day to 2 500 children in underprivileged preschools.
Founder and CEO of Ladles of Love, Danny Diliberto started the initiative in 2020 and said that over the five years, they have made roughly five million sandwiches.
“This initiative really drew people together and created so much extra food for our communities. We look after around 6500 children where we ensure that these children get two nutritious meals a day, so this will just be an extra for them. We will also connect to a few of our community based soup kitchens to get sandwiches.
“The vibe at this year’s Sarmiethon is beautiful as always. I love seeing people come together and team build with a purpose.”
Llwellyn Smith, Chief Operating Officer at Coronation added that they have been supporting Ladles of Love for four consecutive years.
“We see Ladles of Love as a strategic partner who helps with hunger relief and food security and from our perspective a hungry child can’t learn and hungry people cannot reach their full potential. That is why we are doing our part to ensure children have food, their bellies are filled so they can learn.”
“We are happy to support this initiative because we believe in the long term impact of the Nourish Our Children programme which reaches children in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng.”
The Sarmiethon kicked off at 10.30am and it was a three hour race against time as volunteers and donors teamed up in groups to see who can make the most sandwiches in three hours. The vibes were going as a live DJ was keeping the group not just entertained but energetic as well.
One of the beneficiaries is Bulelwa Vangqa from Kids Ministry Educare based in Delft and takes care of 110 children between the ages of two months to six years old.
“I got introduced to Ladles of Love in 2020 and it was at the perfect time because it was Covid-19 and my children were at home and what were they going to eat. Delft is an underprivileged community so I felt the pain of my children but God sent Ladles of Love on our path,” said Vangqa.
“I really appreciate what they are doing not just for us but other ECDs in the area. I have seen the work they do in communities and they serve the real need by providing balanced meals for free. There has been a big difference because our children are getting stronger and healthier.”
A regular volunteer is Sacha Levesque who said: “The day has been fun. I have been part of the initiative for a few years and I enjoy giving back and helping where I can. I believe there are different ways of looking after the community.”
To support Ladles of Love and donate towards their initiatives please check out the Ladles of Love website.