Meals on Wheels Community Services South Africa (MOWCS) is a service of the Seventh-day Adventist Church – Southern African Union Conference established in 1964 to address the needs of the hungry in South Africa. Currently, Meals on Wheels Community Services is divided into 6 Provincial Offices, which assist in running 208 kitchens that are feeding more than 2 million hungry South Africans. An independent study conducted by OXFAM reports that 1 in 4 South Africans are going to bed hungry every night, that’s over 12 million hungry souls. With the current unemployment rate in South Africa reaching to well over 25% of the 54 million people-population, this caring ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is playing an important role in the survival of the destitute in this beautiful country. “We love our work because we love the people we serve. It is our privilege to feed the hungry. It is a calling from God to feed those He loves so much” Drina Engelbrecht (National Director – MOWCS).
The Meals on Wheels Community Services Extreme Ride for Hunger Tour 2016 was a cycling Tour, from Kimberley in the Northern Cape to Tygerberg in Cape Town, aimed at raising funds and awareness to help feed the needy, elderly, children and the under-privileged people in the Northern Cape communities. The Northern Cape is one of the largest provinces of South Africa with the highest unemployment rate.
The Tour took place over five days starting in Kimberley, on Sunday the 28th of February 2016 at 5:00am and ended on Thursday the 3rd of March 2016 at 11:00 am in Tygerberg, Cape Town. The cyclists completed the gruelling 1068km, passing through Hope town, Strydenburg, Britstown, Victoria West, Three Sisters, Beaufort West, Klaarstroom, De Rust, Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, Ladysmith, Barrydale, Swellendam, Hermanus, Somerset West and then Tygerberg, the final destination.
Day | Town | Cycling Distance (km) |
28 Feb | Kimberley – Britstown | 250 |
29 Feb | Britstown – Beaufort West | 186 |
01 March | Beaufort West – Oudtshoorn | 200 |
02 March | Oudtshoorn – Swellendam | 237 |
03 March | Somerset West – Tygerberg | 37 |
We wish to place on record our sincerest appreciation to all who gave up their time for this noble cause, especially the cyclists who felt the need to express their support in the fight against hunger by completing the 1068 kilometres. The cycle tour was a resounding success in terms of raising awareness of the plight of the hungry in South Africa, as well as bringing in financial assistance to help us transform the lives of those we serve through charity-in-motion.
For more information about MOWCS visit:
www.mealsonwheels.org.za
by Gershon Naidoo
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