Preparing a pot of chicken akni, from left, are Sanzaf regional manager Shafiek Barendse, marketing member Abdur-Razaaq Majal and spokesperson Sakeena Bock.
The South African National Zakáh Fund (Sanzaf) in Salt River cooked up five 60-litre pots of chicken akni for the homeless and needy on Thursday last week.
Three of the pots were used to dish out 500 meals to the homeless in Salt River, Observatory and District Six while the other two were sent to volunteers in Delft and Factreton to distribute meals there.
“Sometimes we come across people who don’t have official feeding schemes, though they reach out to different organisations to help feed the community,” said Sanzaf regional manager Shafiek Barendse.
Sanzaf’s satellite branches in Tafelsig, Lavender Hill, Manenberg, Elsies River, Stellenbosch and Malmesbury cooked food for the needy every second day while the main office in Salt River prepared food twice a month, he said.
They tried to feed about 382 000 people a month, he said, adding, “Our main reason to run these feeding schemes is because people are really struggling. We provide people with food parcels, though we find people don’t have money to buy electricity or gas to make hot meals.
“It is now cold outside, and they show so much appreciation for a hot meal and cup of soup, and it gives us the motivation to keep on with our work.”
Visit sanzaf.org.za or call 021 447 0297 or 021 638 0965 to find out more about how you can help.