No one deserves to be alone. This is how you nourish a community with compassion

Moerieda Joubert’s mother understood the importance of connecting with people. And what better way to do that than by sharing a meal? Even though she had Parkinson’s, she would prepare food for the local old-age home out of her own pocket. After her passing, Joubert has proved the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Imprinted with a sense of goodwill, Joubert founded Statice Square Senior in Cape Town to build a community from companionship and love. For the past 15 years, she’s been providing scrumptious five-course meals and organising entertainment for the elderly. “We try to make them as happy as possible because no one deserves to feel alone,” Joubert says. “They just want someone to care, to give them a little time, to remind them that life isn't over.” 

A pensioner herself, Joubert uses her limited funds to continue her mother’s legacy. “I always tell my children, ‘I’m poor but we must make the time’,” she says. Going beyond her means, Joubert is nourishing people with kindness and creating priceless opportunities to break bread with others. “We all have something to give, even if it’s just time,” she says.