Matthew 25:35 Ministries was started several years ago by members from the local Methodist Church in Winterton. Since then it has been supported by local farmers and members of the various Winterton churches. It is an organisation in its own right and has its own not for profit status but to avoid overlap of services Isibani now adminsters the scheme on a day to day basis.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. Matthew 25:35 NIV
Matthew 25 is essentially a feeding scheme to support the poorest members of the community. Where families are affected by sickness there is often no breadwinner and families survive on the little income they receive from welfare grants. Some families are not able to access any grants and often survive purely on the generosity of neighbours.
Each month families come to Isibani to collect a food parcel consisting of maize, soya mince, sugar, salt, tea bags and beans. As well as handing out food on these days we give presentations on HIV awareness and prevention, healthy living, substance abuse and other health issues.
The objective of this scheme is to provide a short term solution to enable people to get back on their feet; we focus on feeding those who are too ill to work and children who are still in school. We work closely with the families to help them to access any grants they may be entitled to and to help them understand their health issues and offer advice about access to health care.
We are seeing an increasing number of orphan led families where children have lost both of their parents to AIDS. We will support these families until the children have completed their education and are able to find work.
Isibani Community Centre 