Fred & Martie’s Soup Kitchen is based in Claremont, situated to the west of the Johannesburg CBD. The Non-profit Organisation was started by Fred and Martie Hughes in 1981. Since their passing the centre is managed by Fred’s daughter Yolandi and her husband Riaan Oberholzer.
Claremont is an extremely poor multi-cultural community. Due to the high unemployment rate addiction is an issue in many households and food is a daily challenge for families living in the area.
“My mom Martie started cooking soup from her kitchen and served it to the children on the pavement outside her home. Numbers soon grew and the soup kitchen had to move to a nearby field. The local council saw the work being done for the community and gave my parents a stand in Claremont for the soup kitchen, where it is based today,” explains Yolandi.
One woman’s passion for her community helped her feed hundreds of people over the years and today the soup kitchen feeds between three hundred – four hundred people per day. The centre relies on food donations from the public to keep running.
A register is kept of those visiting the centre each day and it is quickly picked up when regulars are not seen. Home visits are done providing cooked meals to the elderly and the ill. Additionally, food parcels are distributed weekly to 408 families and the children living in the area are provided with porridge before school and sandwiches for the day.
The centre is run by six staff members and provides the Claremont children with a small library, homework centre and playground. Community members are encouraged to help out at the centre and for their efforts, they are compensated with tokens enabling them to purchase goods such as clothing, toys, books etc from the on-site second-hand token shop.
RADA was introduced to the centre in July 2022 and after visiting the premises and meeting the staff, RADA decided that it was a place we could assist and support going forward. With the help of sponsors, we will continue to assess and assist with the needs of the centre and the community it serves.
