story from the field -
Distributing food with our field manager, Byron Randall, this is what he may tell you
There is nothing that makes me happier than seeing genuine smiles on children's faces. This work allows me to be content and happy with life. It has always felt natural to help others and doing what I have been doing since 2008 allows me to have peace and joy in my heart despite seeing unimaginable things over the years. If we could all do our part in creating a better world than we stand a real chance at overcoming the bad. We need to weather the storm together - we are all in the same storm but we are not all in the same boat. Never underestimate how much impact a small gesture or act of kindness can create a ripple effect in other's, as well as our own lives. Be humble always.
In 2008 I was lucky enough to be introduced to Gordon at Food4Africa and the work they do. I am now proud to be able to say that it is the work WE do. Right from the beginning I felt as though I had found my place in life, and that was at a very early age of 20. I don't think there are a lot of people in the world who are able to say that. To know at that age that life has handed you your life's work.
At school I was never really certain as to what I wanted to become, my grades were reasonable but I didn't seem to have a direction. I decided that after school I would take a gap year and visit the UK on a working holiday. After the gap year I returned to my home town of Port Elizabeth where I met Len Harvey, this was to be one of the most influential people in my life to date.
Len was an absolute legend in our community, he was involved with Food4Africa and was delivering porridge to all the rural areas in the Eastern Cape on a daily basis. I could sense that this was huge and I was so drawn in by it that it took over my entire life...in a good way. Sympathy, Empathy, Karma and Goodwill were flowing freely in and around the people Len dealt with and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. A small drop in a big ocean but with a chance to create a ripple effect over the entire sea. Real goosebumps stuff. Len passed away in 2010 and I took it upon myself to see to it that all the people he was helping continued to be helped. Len was totally dynamic in what he did and taking over from him put a huge weight on my shoulders at the time. If it wasn't for the help of Len's daughter Cindy and Gordon - I would not have coped. It eventually took a toll on my health, more mentally than physically over the following years although I never stopped doing the good work. After meeting my loving wife in 2013 and getting married in 2016 the equilibrium to my life was restored.
I have always been a hands-on, technically minded person and around 2015 I realized that I needed to feed that part of my life. I started a welding and fabrication business from my garage at home and have since grown it into a successful small business. I now carefully balance life between doing the good work, creating ripple effects and running my small business.
