PA Soup Kitchen to benefit
JON HOUZET
TALK of the Town’s quiz evening at My Pond Hotel on August 4, in support of the Port Alfred Soup Kitchen, promises to be a fun evening with fabulous prizes.
The quiz for a good cause has already garnered strong support from old hands at the quiz game to novices keen for a challenge.
Anyone who has participated in any of the Lions Club’s successful quiz evenings or remembers various pub quizzes around town will be familiar with the format. There will be various categories, with something for everyone, and teams of four can pool their knowledge to come up with answers.
Some may be more au fait with books and literature, while others keep up to date with sports.
Be sure to brush up on your music and movies. There will be song and film clips stirring memories old and new.
Teams will also have the opportunity to choose a category up front in which to play their joker, and double their score in that round. It could be the difference between winning and losing.
This quiz requires brainpower – no use of cellphones or pads permitted. It’s a Google-free event.
The sharpest team will win meal vouchers for four at My Pond Hotel with a total value of R1 200, sponsored by Stenden South Africa.
Other terrific prizes include four Stenden sweaters valued at R300 each, a cruise for four on the Spirit of Adventure sponsored by the Halyards, a cruise for four on the Lady Biscay, meal vouchers for four from Decadent and meal vouchers for four at Penny Farthing Cafe & Bistro.
There are also gift vouchers from Leach Pharmacy and wine sponsored by d’vine deli(correct), owned by Renate Cooper. KNA has kindly sponsored raffle tickets.
The quiz is a revival of a series of quizzes Talk of the Town hosted in support of the PA Soup Kitchen several years ago. Times have become critical for the Soup Kitchen once again.
“For the past 17 years teams of men, women and students have been reaching out to the very poor all around us,” Soup Kitchen committee member Tony Bryant said.
“I have personally witnessed unemployed men faint while waiting for our soup on a Monday. They had not eaten for three days, and old women, some who can barely walk, who care daily for children and orphans while their mothers seek work in town, trying to provide for them,” he said.
“At 5% unemployment, panic alarms start ringing in many countries. Our unemployment is estimated to be 35% in the Eastern Cape and is one of the worst in the world. As the economy stagnates and more people find themselves without jobs, the queues for food and help get longer. Without work whole families are confronted with hunger. Confrontation increases.”
The Soup Kitchen now feeds 3 000 meals a week to the desperate in our communities. They also supply clothes, shoes, blankets and food to those whose houses have burnt down. The Soup Kitchen also encourages “Farming God’s Way” to start vegetable gardens for food and possible income.
“The huge problem we are now facing is that our main sponsor, Lotto should have re-allocated funds to us again in November last year. For the past eight months we have only survived by cutting costs, even reducing the portions,” Bryant said.
“Unless we now receive funding within 30 days, feeding our desperate will virtually cease.”
He appealed to churches, service clubs and businesses to come to the Soup Kitchen’s assistance.
“Let us together make a stand against hunger and possible confrontation. Every rand is accounted for. There are no holes in our bucket. If we do not do this, who will?”
To support the quiz for the Soup Kitchen, buy your tickets at R75 per person from Ivy Gulliford – e-mail ihaywood@telkomsa.net or call 084-585-3442 / 083-260-0334.
To help the Soup Kitchen in any other way, call Tony Bryant (072-736-9328), Debra Harris (083-260-0334), Leon Coetzee (082-673-1492) or Helmut Hartleb (076-788-2771).
