History of ACFS

Our history goes back to 1945, when the late Bishop Trevor Huddleston started soup kitchens in winter for hungry children in Alexandra and Soweto.

Five years later, the first permanent feeding centre was established and the scheme was feeding 4 000 children daily.

From the start, we understood that handouts were not a lasting solution. The tragedy of malnourished children was caused by poverty and lack of knowledge – and the focus of the scheme turned to health education and skills development programmes aimed at helping poverty-stricken people to become economically independent.

We now have 11 community centres in Soweto, Alexandra, Kagiso and Tsakane (Gauteng), one in Bothaville (Freestate), one in Zebediela (Limpopo) and one in Hopesland, Ladysmith (KwaZulu Natal) where food is prepared and served to pre-schoolers and school children who have been identified as being at risk. We also have a bakery in Jabavu and Tembisa where fresh bread and rolls are baked daily and sold to the community. Each centre has a well established communal food garden, where volunteers from the community grow vegetables for the feeding scheme, as well as for their own use.

In addition, six vans and five tri-cars were used to deliver meals to needy children not within walking distance of a centre. These children received a portion of processed cheese, containing the equivalent calcium and minerals, instead of the milk.

A further 300 High School children are served hot meals prepared at the schools, using ingredients donated by our caring partners. Pre-school children attend two of our centres where they receive meals and participate in early education programmes.

Records are kept for each child – and failure to collect their meal acts as a warning that something may be amiss at home; one of our sisters will then call to check on the family at home.

Communal vegetables gardens were established at each centre, and families of children enrolled in the scheme are encouraged to work in the gardens and learn skills that enable them to start their own small veggie patch at home.