An Ottery domestic worker has started a crowdfunding campaign to make sure children in her community go to bed with a full tummy.
Lauren Juries, 29, is a married mother of two boys, aged 10 and 13, and started a BackaBuddy campaign to enable her to feed over 100 families, and also supply them with electricity.
So far she’s raised just under R70 000.
Thanks to her campaign, each day Lauren serves supper and has a sponsor serving lunch and breakfast while she goes to work.
“Before lockdown, I saw a lot of people struggling and I never knew how to begin, you know, some people are still sceptical about who they eat from and therefore I wanted to supply food hampers so they can do their own cooking,” she explains.
“I approached my employer Tracy Gander on 10 April and asked if there was any way she could help me. I have a few families in need of food and electricity.”
DONATE: Lauren dishing out food
Lauren says she applied to BackaBuddy and within a few days, she started the CAN (Community Action Network) Project and started feeding mense on 21 April.
“Tracy helped me get sponsors who buy a family a Shoprite voucher or electricity.
“I want to make sure that when every kid goes home he has a cooked meal.”
Lauren’s campaign has partnered with BackaBuddy, YeboFresh, Omega Family Fellowship, PowerTime, Hands of Honour and Shoprite for contributions.
BLESSING: Hampers for the Ottery community
“I listen to the Holy Spirit and go where God wants me to go. It’s a struggle not having my own vehicle, but I trust God,” she says.
You can make a donation on BackaBuddy by searching Ottery-Care.