In an ongoing effort to bring relief to the vulnerable and underprivileged from various communities around KZN, Food for Life Africa (FFLA), a humanitarian organisation, has opened three new branches since its inauguration in 2021.
Food for Life Africa has been providing much-needed relief in Phoenix, Verulam, Tongaat and the greater Durban areas, distributing over three million nutritious plates of freshly-prepared hot meals to date, serving up to 6 800 meals daily from the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. CEO of Food for Life Africa, Viresh Panday, said the organisation was the fastest growing NGO in the distribution of hot plant-based food in the African continent, reaching out to rural areas and CBDs. “The new year was ushered in with good tidings, financials audited and available, giving the public, well-wishers, donors and sponsors investment confidence in taking care of vulnerable babies, children, youth and senior citizens within our communities. We have planned to cook 160 000 plates of piping hot meals a month going forward, due to the high demand by families that have lost their income due to the Covid-19 pandemic, business closures and an ailing economy,” said Panday.
FFLA head quarters, based at the River Range Ranch, which is headed by Vick Panday and Ray Ramlall has successfully distributed 27 000 plates of food since the start of the new year. “Our new branches are based in uMngeni and Nelspruit and we have the School, Nutrition, Education, Culture and Devotion branch and children’s projects. The uMngeni branch serves the schools, clinics, the newly-opened Durban South Beach soup kitchen and Westville homes for senior citizens. The new branches provide an average of 10 000 plates monthly. “The secret of success is to empower and support team leaders in their respective locale – this is the winning recipe adopted from His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder Acarya of Iskcon and Food for Life Africa, who conquered the world in one year in 1966. This service we are providing for communities is the desire of Swami Prabhupada, that no one should go hungry in a 10-kilometre radius of a holy site.” Panday added that the organisation, in partnership with the River Range Ranch Goshala, hosted its first successful Go-puja and Go-dhaan ceremony in memory of loved ones who have passed on due to Covid-19, naturally, accidentally and due to medical conditions earlier this month. For more information contact Dr Krishna Prasad Rambarran on 084 682 8129.
