In a world where abundance coexists with poverty, the simple act of sharing a meal is sometimes neglected, yet a powerful expression of compassion and connection. Feeding the impoverished is more than just providing food, it’s an opportunity to remind ourselves and others of our shared humanity. Each meal we distribute carries with it stories of resilience, hope and sometimes heartbreak. One of the recipients today was so emotional as she and her family had not eaten for four days, have we ever imagined being in this situation.

This work brings about a swirl of emotions. Seeing a line of individuals waiting for their meal, one cannot ignore their circumstances. Their faces tell stories that often go unheard, stories of unexpected job loss, illness, gangsterism and drugs or family struggles. In these moments, we recognize that with each person we serve, we are not just offering a warm meal but we offering a small slice of hope to those suffering in the world.

What is even more emotional is the expression on a child’s face as they receive a plate of nutritious food for the first time in a while. Their eyes excited, coupled with an innocent smile, sums up a mix of relief and joy sparking a sense of hope for a better future, at least for today, they not alone in this struggle.

Each meal shared serves as a reminder of the larger battle against poverty in our country. It pushes us to reflect on our role in assisting those in need, inspiring us to seek solutions that address the root causes of hunger. Today we fed approximately 2,500 mouths taking the total mouths fed to date to 248,700. We fed people from the communities of Lavender Hill, Vrygrond, Khayelitsha, Milnerton, Retreat and Belhar. We want to thank everyone that contributed and assisted with the cooking, it is much appreciated.

Feeding the impoverished is an act that touches our hearts profoundly. It’s a reminder that a simple meal can restore dignity and hope. Each meal, serves as a reminder of the impact we can have on one another. It is a call to action, urging all of us to look beyond our differences and to extend a hand to those in need. In the end, feeding the impoverished is not just about providing food, it’s about nourishing hope and building a more compassionate world, one meal at a time.

Some pictures of todays feeding:

This week we celebrated Mandela Day to honor the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. As Nelson Mandela once said, “There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to helping others without expecting anything in return.” This week we were blessed to partner with Ayo Technology Solutions Limited, African Equity Empowerment Investments Limited and FPG Group that came out to feed the needy in our communities in Cape Town.

The past two days we managed to feed just over 4,000 people from the orphanages in the Cape Flats to communities in Lavender Hill to informal settlements in Egoli, Vrygrond and Khayelitsha. We would like to thank all the sponsors, volunteers and staff that came out to make these initiatives a success. We hope by dedicating your time that these initiatives inspire you to help those in need on a regular basis.

As we end off a successful week we would like to inspire you by the wisdom of Nelson Mandela, “As we let our own light shine, we consciously give other prime permission to do the same.” May we reflect on our lives, the contribution we make to society and how we inspire others by living a life based on morality and ethical values.

See below pictures of the feedings:

Falaah Foundation NPC is registered as a Non Profit Company, as a Public Benefit Organisation with SARS and registered with the Department of Social Development. Our focus is to assist the needy in our communities with food.

Despite many organisations in existence we focus to grow partnerships with other organisations and soup kitchens to work together to make a bigger impact to directly in their community. Although our long term objectives are to create long term sustainable opportunities, we understand that this will require huge sums of capital injection which is by far the biggest challenge for non profit organisations.

The challenge most soup kitchens face currently is funding to feed those in their communities. Many of the impoverished over the past year relied on a plate of food a day, however recently due to limited funds those in impoverished communities are lucky to have a plate of food every third day. We often find people informing us when distributing that is their first meal for the week. Can you imagine being in these circumstances? Let us contemplate on our favours God has bestowed upon us and let us set aside a portion to help those in need.

Today we managed to feed just under 2,000 people from Manenberg, Khayalitsha, Vrygrond, Belhar and Valhalla Park taking the total mouths fed to date to 234,500 since inception. We would like to thank all the sponsors, the team and all volunteers that made this possible.

We would like to urge everyone to please consider us and other non profit organisations with the aim for helping those in need in our communities. As Mother Theresa said, “if you cannot feed a hundred people, feed just one.” We pray that we are given the strength and support to continue feeding even if it’s not to the capacity we would prefer, the importance is to be consistent.

See below pictures of todays feeding:

Feeding people suffering from hunger in our communities is a critically important service we need to bring about in our daily lives. When reading the phrase, “the need to feed” two things come to mind, the first human instinct to nourish ourselves and others and secondly access to nutritious food. When we are born the first important item for a mother is to feed her newborn and throughout their life the need for nourishment never changes. It is mentioned in a Hadith that our Beloved Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The best of you are those who feed others.” (Ahmad).

Today we see many feeding schemes closing down due to the lack of support received. Recently when procuring ingredients we heard first hand the decrease of organisations purchasing ingredients and the concern that people in our communities are not being fed. From our experience we too see the decrease in funds received to achieve our objective of feeding the impoverished, destitute and orphaned in our communities. Having fed on average 17,000 people over the past year at a cost of approximately R2,20 per meal amounting to just under R40,000 per month has become extremely challenging. The lack of support has resulted in cookings having to be postponed but in order to remain consistent and continue we made a decision this week to decrease the cooking based on the available funds resulting in a total of 4,400 people on average being no fed in a month. The concern we have is regarding the 12,000 people not being fed by us and more so the overall amount of people not being fed by other organisations directly increasing hunger in our communities.

By the Will and Grace of the Almighty we were able to feed 2,200 people yesterday from the communities of Vrygrond, Khayelitsha, Manenberg, Retreat, Milnerton, Lavender Hill and Egoli. We would like to thank all of those that supported in cash and kind, it is much appreciated.

We would like to take the opportunity to Appeal to our communities to provide much needed financial assistance to allow us to fulfill our objectives of feeding those suffering from hunger in our communities. Please donate via our website or contact us on WhatsApp for the banking details.

It is our moral and religious duty to help out those in need, thus feeding the poor is not a recommended but a necessity. We are constantly taught to care for those around us and have an empathetic attitude towards all of creation. Each one of us have a social responsibility, we understand that our wealth and personal belongings are to be shared with those who require them more than us. Through these actions we eliminate pride and of selfishness within ourselves.

Engaging in acts of charity, including feeding the poor, is believed to protect us from calamities and misfortunes. By helping those in need, we seek protection and blessings from the Almighty.

Today we managed to feed 3,200 people from the communities of Lavender Hill, Parkwood, Khayelitsha, Vrygrond, Milnerton, Ottery, Salt River and Retreat. We would like to thank all the sponsors and the team for your continued support to feed our communities.

Recently we have seen feeding schemes closing their doors as a result of lack of donations as most donations have been given to our brothers and sisters in Palestine. We are fortunate to have the support of each of you, as we able to feed the underprivileged in our communities another day.

As we reach the end of the second third of Ramadan, our bodies and minds are tired but it’s important that we continue to persevere, striving to seek the pleasure of the Almighty in order that we attain God consciousness. When we enter the last ten days we feel at ease as our bodies have adjusted to staying without food and drink. How merciful is our Creator for allowing us to increase our faith and steadfastness throughout this month so we can reap the rewards during the last ten nights of Ramadan. In our daily lives we are expected to demonstrate patience and perseverance when facing adversity, trusting in Almighty’s plan throughout our lives, the same goes for Ramadan. May the Almighty grant us patience and allow us to be grateful for all the favours He bestowed upon us.

Today we ended our last cooking for the month of Ramadan feeding 3,200 mouths of the communities of Lansdowne, Vrygrond, Lavender Hill, Steenberg, Milnerton, Retreat, Tafelsig, Ottery, Parkwood and Khayalitsha taking the total mouths fed to 225,200. We manage to feed approximately 14,000 people over the past three weeks from Lavender Hill, Belhar and Ottery kitchens. We would like to thank all the sponsors, the team and volunteers for making it possible to feed the impoverished, orphaned and destitute in our communities. May your lives be filled with many blessings and for those fasting may you reap the rewards of these last 10 days.

As we enter entered the second ten days of Ramadan we are reminded that these are the days of forgiveness wherein we are afforded the opportunity to seek forgiveness of the Almighty. How quick time flies, but have we are ourselves the question, “What have we done with our time.” It is mentioned that giving charity to those in need is a means of seeking forgiveness from the Almighty and purifying one’s soul. The Prophet Muhammad (May Peace be Upon Him) taught us that our charity would intercede for the giver on the Day of Judgment. In a world where self interest and materialism seem to be the norm, charity allows us to develop our compassion and empathy as well as too show gratitude to our Creator for all the blessings in our lives.

Through the grace of the Almighty we manage to feed 3,200 people of Vrygrond, Manenberg, Ottery, Retreat, Lavender Hill, Khayelitsha and Parkwood taking the total mouths fed to 220,150. We would like to thank everyone one for your continued support, from our esteemed sponsors, the team and volunteers. May your charity in cash or kind be the means for you to obtain the forgiveness you seek of and may it result in us strengthening our relationship with our Creator.

In Surah Baqarah of the Holy Quran it states,

“The example of those who spend their wealth in the cause of Allah is that of a grain that sprouts into seven ears, each bearing one hundred grains. And Allah multiplies the reward even more to whoever He wills. For Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.” 

-Surah Baqarah:261

Through our charity we do not only unite communities, but we also strengthen the bonds by assisting the less fortunate in our communities. As the verse states, the charity we give is multiplied in rewards. May our charities help us to attain the forgiveness we and pleasure of the Almighty.

As we welcomed the month of Ramadan with the sighting of the moon, how fortunate are we to witnesss this month. Countless times we are afforded opportunities by our Creator to do better, be better and ultimately realise what our true purpose in life is and that is to worship Him.

We find ourselves in the first ten days of Ramadan, known as the days of mercy. Allah (SWT) says in the Quran, “O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous.” (Quran 2:183). During these days we have been given a unique opportunities to seek Allah (SWT)’s mercy and forgiveness. May we strive to make the most of this our time by engaging in acts of worship and seeking His pleasure.

Today we fed 2,750 people from the communities of Lavender Hill, Vrygrond, Khayelitsha, Egoli, Retreat and Manenberg taking the total mouths fed to date to 215,750. May every morsel of food eaten provide sustenance and improved health. We take the opportunity to thank our sponsors, the team and volunteers for your ongoing support.

As the clock ticks let’s not forget that our time on earth is limited. We tend to prioritise everything that we deem important but not reflecting on the time wasted. In reality each minute that passes is a minute less we have. With the days that remain, may we raise our hands asking for His mercy.

People in our communities are suffering from many hardships, but despite being extremely challenging it also brings about lessons that will help us grow in many ways. Pain relating to these hardships can either be short or linger on for many years. The Quran indicates that with difficulty comes ease, even though we do not completely understand that during the hardship, we are in most instances able to reflect on the ease Allah (God) is referring too.

Adversities on the other hand are misfortunes such as poverty or suffering from hunger. It is important to note that circumstances could easily change, therefore we should be extremely grateful for everything we have been granted. We are blessed that we are able to provide much needed meals to those in need in our communities and we hope to create awareness in order that we assist wherever possible to help where needed.

Today we fed 2,750 people from Lavender Hill, Khayelitsha, Parkwood, Manenberg, Seawinds, Vrygrond, Milnerton and Egoli Informal Settlement in Phillipi taking the total amount fed to date to 210,000 people.

As Rumi said, “God sends hope in the most desperate moments. Don’t forget the heaviest rain comes out of the darkest clouds.” May we be the rain to nourish and bring hope to the impoverished and destitute within our communities to allow them to grow.

See below pictures:

As we conclude the last cooking for the year, we want to firstly thank the Almighty for granting us our health, strength to continue feeding the less fortunate and for allowing us to build our community united as one to serve humanity. We are grateful for all the sponsors for entrusting us with your donations and to everyone that comes to lend a helping hand, it is greatly appreciated.

We managed to feed 2,750 people taking the ritual feeding to date to 205,750 mouths fed from the communities of Khayelitsha, Vrygrond, Lavender Hill, Retreat, Parkwood, Egoli, Maitland and Milnerton. We are truly blessed by the effort each of our distribution partners have made to feed their respective areas. We delighted with the growth being able to feed all across Cape Town.

Something comes to mind as we end this year, how fortunate are we as a community to help the impoverished, orphaned and destitute. With all the happenings in the world, people have started to worship wealth and self interest, not wanting to lend a helping hand to those being oppressed or suffering from adversities throughout the world.

Life is like a circle, as we feel sad for finishing one chapter, it is important to note that another is just over the horizon. Wishing you all well over the festive season, may it bring forth prosperity to you and your families the year that lies ahead.

Some pictures of todays feeding: