Sanctuary House Serves 8,902 Meals

It was disheartening to see how many people, especially disadvantaged urban city dwellers, struggled to sustain themselves and feed their families during the pandemic. The economic downturn greatly challenged and impacted their daily livelihoods as they strived to feed their families. The Sanctuary House (SH) team initiated ‘Meals for the Needy’ to reach out to those affected by the pandemic. This initiative initially planned to serve 200 cooked meals over weekends to those economically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was mainly possible as SH partnered with community leaders that identified those in need and vulnerable communities affected by the current crisis. Amongst those identified were people recovering from COVID-19 and in quarantine, daily wage earners who had lost their livelihoods and income, the elderly, widows, single-parent households and children, including some with learning disabilities.

During the first weekend of the 25th and 26th of September, due to an overwhelming response and generous donations from churches, and individual well-wishers, including the Alliance Development Trust (ADT) staff, the SH team launched the ‘Meals for the Needy’ initiative by distributing 402 meals. By mid-November, the initiative had gained momentum. By the end of the year, the SH had distributed 5,652 cooked meals to various needy urban disadvantaged city dwellers.

In December, SH provided another 3,250 meals to the ADT’s ‘Share a Meal, Share a Moment’ project.