Important Update:
It is winter again! And with winter comes new challenges. Please see the update below.
In the meantime, feel free to visit us on Facebook, or to contact us personally:
Yolindie & Riaan Oberholzer
Fred and Martie’s Soup kitchen
Cell: 0828546904/0827868517
Our People…
Our Story…
Fred & Martie’s Soup Kitchen is a regisetred Public Benefit and Non-profit Organisation (IT18A and BEE certificates available on request) which supports a large group of less fortunate people in Claremont, west of Johannesburg, South Africa.
This outreach was started more than 43 years ago by our parents, Fred and Martie Hughes who left their legacy in the very capable hands of their children, Riaan and Yolindie Oberholzer.
My parents moved to Claremont, Johannesburg in March 1981, they knew what being poor was all about. Fred (my dad) himself was no stranger to poverty, having grown up poor.
Martie (my mom) alone, started feeding children from a table on the pavement on the side of the road in front of their house 43 years ago with sample packs of soya mince which my dad got from the factory he worked at to feed us, however, we shared our sample packs of soya mince with many others…
Martie realised there was a problem when so many people came to her to borrow food and recognised that there was a need.
She told us so many times that she started the soup kitchen because she knows what it is like to be poor and to have to go to bed hungry, praying for the hunger pains to go away…
The first day 5 children arrived and by the third day there were 200 children gathering on the pavement, on the doorstep and in the street. The traffic department stepped in and assisted with the traffic whilst the children were eating.
One woman’s passion and love for her community helped her feed hundreds. For years the poor and needy have relied on my parents not only for food but also for inspiration.
Martie sadly passed away in February 2008 and her dying wish was that should she pass away the children should be taken care of no matter what the cost.
Yolindie (daughter of Fred Hughes) got involved at this time as her dad’s health was in a poor state and he was unable to continue with the Soup kitchen on his own. Yolindie promised her dad that the children will be taken care off. The children that Martie cared for so much will never be forgotten and will never go hungry…
Christmas is coming closer – and we are calling all our Christmas angels to come and help us live the love of Jesus.
Christmas is coming!
There’s nothing quite like Christmas to bring out the kid in everyone. Holiday cards, gift giving and receiving, stuffed animals and other toys, hoping for that perfect gift from someone special. The Christmas season is a special time of year. For our children and elderly who face hunger, homelessness and poverty on a daily basis, the holiday season isn’t something to celebrate. They don’t put up Christmas trees or decorations, sing carols, stay up late listening for sleigh bells, or wake up early to unwrap new Christmas presents of toys or gift cards. Feeling unloved and forgotten, these children and elderly only knows the meaning of true hope and joy that Christmas promises.
We want you to be The Santa for our vulnerable elderly folk and deserving children this Christmas. We would love to have food, games, candy canes and sparkling presents under the tree for our deserving children and vulnerable elderly folk whose families have no presents to give…
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TODAY.
Your generosity to give back and bless others from the abundance the Lord has given you helps to make Christmas feel special to children and elderly living in poverty. You can bring the Christmas spirit to children in need. Give them the Gift of Christmas today! Imagine the joy on a child’s face when he or she receives Christmas gift and realizes that God really sees and cares about him or her! Because in the midst of the backpacks, toys and shoes, the truth of Jesus’ love resonates in a special way at Christmastime — not only for the recipients, but for their loved ones as well. The blessing has a ripple effect that extends into the community as the child’s family shares what God has done for them.
“For a child living in poverty, your love and support on Mandela Day give them hope. It reminds them that they are loved. No matter how small your action, Mandela Day is about changing the world for the better, just as Nelson Mandela did every day.
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A DAILY DIFFERENCE
With Mandela Day just around the corner, Riaan and Yolindie Oberholzer from Fred and Martie’s Soup Kitchen shared a few ideas about what to do for the children and elderly at their kitchen, not only on July 18, but every other day.
“For a child living in poverty, your love and support on Mandela Day give them hope. It reminds them that they are loved. No matter how small your action, Mandela Day is about changing the world for the better, just as Nelson Mandela did every day.
“At Fred and Martie’s Soup Kitchen we are flexible and we not only welcome, but encourage any ideas and input from the public.”
As volunteers, they know everyone wants to do good, but often don’t know what to do or where to go.
To make it easy for the community, we have compiled a list of suggestions of simple yet impactful causes to get
involved in at Fred and Martie’s soup kitchen:
Sponsoring a child allows you to witness a miracle first hand, following your child’s growth as he or she is nurtured to health, educated and exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Bless a child today and transform despair into hope!
When you sponsor a child, you can exchange letters, photos and prayers. You can even choose to meet the child you sponsor.
You can change a child’s life from one of hardship and loneliness to one of hope and meaning. You have the opportunity to literally bring the love of Christ to a child in need.
Our Child Sponsorship Program is:
- Christ Centred. Our ministry gives every child in our program the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ.
- Child Focused. Each child has one sponsor, someone like you, who exchanges letters, photos and prayers and provides necessities like food, health care and educational opportunities.
Sponsoring a child allows you to witness a miracle first hand, following your child’s growth as he or she is nurtured to health, educated and exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.