A Bulawayo man has donated food parcels to 50 families led by widows and grandmothers in Entumbane and Emakhandeni to temporarily cushion them in these tough times.
Each food parcel consisted of 10kg Mealie Meal, 2kg Sugar, 2kg Self-raising flour, 2l of Cooking Oil, 2 kg Beans and a packet of salt.
Future Msebele Zulu from Emakhandeni Suburb says he was raised by his grandmother and understands the pressures the elderly women face each day, as they try to feed their families.
“The reason I focused on families led by omaGogo (grandmothers) is that I was raised by uGogo umaMsebele, a God-loving and God-fearing woman. She succumbed to cancer when I was doing my A-levels,” he said in an interview with CITE but noted that she had instilled in him lifelong lessons that groomed him into a responsible person.
When his grandmother died, Zulu said his neighbours had to look after him and their generosity and kindness, further inculcated in him a spirit of giving.
“Surely one has to give back to the community and say thank you for raising me. One doesn’t have to be a millionaire to assist other people, we grow spiritually as we give assistance to those in need,” he remarked, adding that he was self-sponsored.
“This initiative is from my own undertaking and is not funded by any organisation. Although a friend of mine from Emakhandeni has assisted in raising some funds and helps me with the distribution.”
Zulu highlighted he started handing out food parcels to the vulnerable, since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020 in Zimbabwe.
“This has become an annual programme for me. When Covid-19 came, you will appreciate that most families struggled to feed themselves due to reduced incomes,” he said.
Since he was buying goods in bulk, Zulu said a local supermarket offered him a discounted price for all the products.
“I bought the goods from a local supermarket, which gave me a good discount as an incentive so I could manage to buy all that I wanted,” Zulu said.
He also gave a few food parcels to one local church, which then identified the vulnerable within them.
“My hope and prayer is that I continue with this programme for more years to come,” Zulu said.
