Venecia Valentine
Nominee's Province:
Western Cape
Age:
35
Project Name/Description:
She was born and raised in her home in Mitchell’s Plain, and now that same house in Cumulus Street is a beacon of hope and hospitality in her community. Using a nutritious hot meal as a connector, Venecia Valentine has been uplifting her community for years through a weekly food kitchen, which distributes roughly 250 meals each Saturday. The meals are cooked in a sterile kitchen by an NGO called Invisible Hands and delivered to her door, where she, along with family and friends, serves it with a smile and caring comment to those who need it. “We believe that no person should go hungry, and my heart breaks when I see the poverty that people live in. Sometimes we run out of food, and people are still queuing, so I will make them sandwiches,” she says. The 35-year-old mom of two also runs a popular community outreach project called Winter Warmers, where she turns her garage into a “shop” where destitute people can shop by selecting clothing and paying with vouchers that Venecia supplies. The garage mimics a retail shop and gives the customers a dignified shopping experience. “We give them a coffee and doughnut while they are browsing, and they have a set amount of vouchers, so they can get quite a few items.” “Everything is washed, ironed and spritzed with a scent before being donated.”
