Have you had breakfast today? If so, you’re one of the lucky ones. Many South Africans wake up each morning unsure if their stomachs will be filled. Nine-year-old Joshua Roos noticed the desperation this caused. “I kept on seeing people every day scratching in bins,” he says. Roos could have walked away unaffected and never given it a second thought. But instead of heeding the hunger epidemic, he set out to help as many starving souls as possible.
Roos started by taking sandwiches to his classmates in Gordon’s Bay. It showed him how a little giving can go a long way, but more needed to be done. “I realised the problem is much, much bigger,” Roos says. “It’s not just kids who don’t have food.” With the idea of a soup kitchen in mind, he ran to his grandmother, Manda Roos, for assistance. She knew her disability grant couldn’t sustain his nurturing dream. But after a successful call for donations on Facebook, Joshua’s Soup Kitchen opened in March 2018. Since then, they’ve fed over 3 000 people.
Roos’ efforts to fill bellies has had a substantial impact on the Gordon’s Bay community. He also helps out at a local old-age home and plates up burgers for hardworking firefighters. His immeasurable compassion shows that sharing and caring is not restricted by age. Acts of kindness can be performed by us all.
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