Manna from Canada...what a blessing!

20 foot container with 80 drums

Package of dried vegetable soup mix

The month of May has been full of blessings, including our most recent delivery of a container filled with eighty 45-gallon drums stuffed with dried vegetable soup mix.  Food for the Hungry-Canada and Okanagan Gleaners came together to fill this container in order to help us feed thousands of hungry children and families in the Drakenstein Valley.  This is the third shipment that we have received since our partner Emerge Poverty Free in London coordinated the partnership between these organizations and the MCM Food Center which was was opened in 2008. The staff of Monte Christo Miqlat (MCM) is so grateful for this recent delivery!  The dried soup mixture (which consist mainly of brussel sprouts, onions, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, turnips, potatoes, and dried peas) has been a main component of the hundreds of pots of soup that we prepare every month.  

Unpacking the drums

Making soup

On the day the shipment arrived, Leandri Linde, our new Community Nutrition Manager said "The vegetables we received today will make a huge difference in the nutritional value of our meals."  Marvin White, our Food Center Manager, has used the soup mix for over a year now.  He said "Now we can feed more people in the community." 

A blessed pot of nutrition!!!

Our FH Canada (Food for the Hungry-Canada) is part of the global Food for the Hungry association, and is a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty - one community at a time.  You can learn more about the organization and what they do at www.fhcanada.org.  Founded in 1994, Okanagan Gleaners (www.okanagangleaners.ca) has been gleaning the crops of the Southern Okanagan Valley since 1996, to produce food for the hungry of the world.  They literally take vegetables that would have normally been wasted and turn them into soup mixes that are shipped to hungry communities all over the world.  The MCM staff is grateful that the Drakenstein Valley is one of those communities and we thank our Canadian partners for joining our efforts here!

MCM benefits from Safari half marathon!

MCM staff serving scrumptious food!

May 1st proved to be a beautiful day in Wellington, South Africa...a perfect day for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Safari Half Marathon.  This event, which has become nothing less than an institution on many runner's annual schedules, draws athletes and enthusiasts from far and wide. Monte Christo Miqlat (MCM) was thrilled to have been the local charity that was selected to receive a portion of this year's event proceeds.

Sports coaches participated!

What a blessing for MCM!

Sponsored by Safari Dried Fruit and Nuts, a division of Pioneer Foods, this event has expanded over the years to now include a 5km fun run, a 10km walk and a 2 by 10.5km relay race in addition to the half marathon.  This appeals nicely to athletes of all levels.  Pictured here with Aletia Grunding, MCM's CEO, are several sports coaches from our very own MCM sports team, ten of whom participated in this year's 10K.  As this year's charity, MCM also had the opportunity to get great exposure to the over 10,000 registrants with a stall in the center of the event activities.  MCM staff from many aspects of the ministry had the chance to talk to hundreds of race registrants, and sell them delicious foods prepared by MCM's Food Center such as hearty soup, breakfast buns, chicken wings and rusks.  The biggest blessing of the day was when Karen Petersen and Aletia Grundling received a check for R25,000 from Lydia Britz, Safari's Brand Manager and Kevin Lodge from Top Events, the company who organized the event.  MCM thanks Safari for the wonderful donation and Top Events for coordinating such a fantastic event!

MCM and Rotary...partners at the Cheese Festival

For the first time, Monte Christo Miqlat (MCM) was blessed to participate in the annual AgriExpo Cheese Festival.  Held at Sandringham Farm in Stellenbosch, the South African Cheese Festival is the most prominent event of its kind in Southern Africa and is staged over four days...this year from April 27th-30th.  This award-winning South African Cheese Festival is a celebration of all things cheese, and features a variety of exhibitors that not only include 17 tons of cheese, but a variety of other food items and beverages.  MCM had the opportunity to partner with Paarl Rotary during the entire event and the team chose a 'healthy foods theme,' creating a menu of various healthy foods all prepared by MCM's Food Center.  As most of you know, the Food Center prepares more than 5,000 meals daily to underprivileged children in the Drakenstein Valley and beyond.  The stall attracted a lot of attention from the more than 30,000 festival goers who attended this year's event.  We were pleased that visitors were very interested in the various community projects run by MCM and many individuals made donations on the spot.  Other individuals offered their assistance in different ways.  The MCM staff reported that the visibility was very valuable for both MCM and Paarl Rotary.  Pictured here (from left to right) are Pat and Dave Deacon from Rotary, Marvin White-MCM's Food Center Manager and Cathy Sias from MCM's Tiffany's Community Care Center.