DURBAN – The Denis Hurley Centre will be reopening its doors on Monday and has appealed for volunteers and ingredients to cook 500 meals a day for the homeless in Durban.
The centre was forced to close last Monday during the civil unrest for the safety of staff who have to travel into the CBD.
Many of the shops surrounding the centre were looted and destroyed but the Hurley Centre and the mosque were left unscathed. While closed, the centre’s medical non profit partner AAD, ensured that patients with TB, HIV and epilepsy, received their medication and were looked after.
“Our plan is now to reopen cautiously from Monday (July 19). What better way to mark Sunday's Mandela Day?
“We will restart our feeding programme from Tuesday, aiming to cook 500 hot lunches a day and serve them to homeless people around Durban.”
Like everyone else affected by the unrest, the homeless are worried about where they will get food, it said.
“To do this we need volunteers; so please let us know if you can help. We also need to be able to source lots of ingredients.We appreciate that the break in food supplies is affecting everyone in the city. But if you can help with donations, or even enable us to buy items, please get in touch.”
Perishable items needed include potatoes, onions and cabbages as well as non-perishables, namely sugar beans, rice, cooking oil, baked beans, maize meal and samp.
In addition, the centre said its clinic team would also be back in action and would initially focus on those who needed daily medication and also providing urgent primary health care when needed.
“We are conscious that the level of need in Durban is now even greater than before. Jobs were scarce before Covid-19, the pandemic has made things worse, and now even more jobs have been lost.
“We cannot do everything and cannot help everyone, but we aim to do what we can, with the resources that we have and are confident that, thanks to our supporters and partners, the resources will be there when we need them.”
Meanwhile, the centre said while the looting and destruction were over, the problems were just beginning.
“The first step is to clear up the mess and there has been an extraordinary outpouring of generosity from across all communities with people volunteering to sweep up the streets.”
THE MERCURY