Hundreds of Bonteheuwel residents enjoyed a warme bord kos to celebrate Eid ul Fitr on Monday as generous Daily Voice readers opened their hearts and wallets to assist the struggling community with food to fill their belly on this special occasion.
Aunties from more than 30 kitchens gathered to cook up a storm for the community after an appeal by the Bonteheuwel Joint Peace Forum (JPF) for food donations.
The organisation appealed for help last week as donations had dried up.
JPF spokesperson Nadia Mayman De Grass said their aim was to cook 45 100 litre pots of chicken akhni for both Muslim and Christian families.
AIM: Nadia Mayman De Grass of the Bonteheuwel Joint Peace Forum
The Daily Voice visited the kitchen in Amandel Road which buzzed with excitement as cooks dished up hundreds of bowls of chicken akhni which were delivered to each street.
“After the story was in the Daily Voice, four people called us and said they wanted to help,” says Nadia.
“They wanted to remain anonymous, but one person gave 125kg of rice, another person gave a box of dhanya, a lady from Ruyterwacht also gave rice and we also got 20 pockets of potatoes.
“So this kitchen in Amandel Road managed to make 10 100-litre pots and the donations were spread across the 38 community kitchens across Bonteheuwel.
HEARTY: Pots of akhni were spread across 38 kitchens in Bonteheuwel
“The final count of how many pots were made we are still collating.”
She says while the Muslim community struggled to come to grips with the restrictions on Eid, residents stood together and opened their kassies to help.
“We also appealed on WhatsApp groups for onions and then people started coming forward.
“Today we have fed hundreds of people thanks to the Daily Voice sponsors and the community who came together.
“We also teamed up with the Aljaamia-Uthmania Mosque who also cooked from their kitchens.”
Essential workers were also treated to a meal as a token of thanks.
“We delivered to the elderly people of Apricot Place, to the service stations, the day hospital and Bishop Lavis Saps,” says Nadia.
“This was the first Eid in lockdown and it has been very sad for us.
“Ramadaan is a time spent with family and friends and with the restrictions our neighbours became our family. Everyone came together brilliantly.”