On Wednesday, 1st of July 2026, a delegation of the FW de Klerk Foundation comprising of Deputy Chairperson Christina Teichmann and Marketing Manager Mandisa Gumede met with Danny Diliberto, founder of Ladles of Love and recipient of the Foundation’s 2022 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award, at the NGO’s head office in Epping, Cape Town.

This year, Ladles of Love is one of a few selected non-governmental organisations that received financial support from the FW de Klerk Foundation in recognition of the excellent work they are doing and the valuable contribution that they make towards fulfilling the constitutional rights of vulnerable groups, such as children. The funds for these organisations were raised through the 2025 Nedbank SA Charity Golf Day, a yearly event of which President De Klerk is a Life Patron.  

The organisation, which started more than a decade ago as a soup kitchen for the homeless in Roeland Street in Cape Town has grown significantly over the years and now focuses primarily on providing nutritious and wholesome meals to preschool children in poverty-stricken communities.

Diliberto explains what caused this shift in target groups: “The first 1000 days of a child’s life are crucial for its emotional and physical wellbeing”. Regular meals and a balanced diet ensure a child’s healthy development, minimize the risk of stunted growth and other diet related health issues and last but not least build the foundation for cognitive learning and future success. According to 2026 statistics released by the Human Science Research Council 18% of South African Households are severely affected by child malnutrition.

Today, Ladles of Love employs 30 staff members and an army of volunteers who help to develop weekly meal plans, put food parcels together and distribute them amongst the partnering preschools. Food parcels include stable foods, such as maize, samp and beans as well as fresh vegetables, such as spinach and cabbage from local farmers. Diliberto explains that Ladles of Love goes full circle by ensuring that food waste gets collected, composted and distributed to local farmers in order to improve the soil. Nothing goes to waste.

Future plans of the organisation, which has already a footprint in the Western Cape, the Northern Cape and Gauteng, include expanding its reach to the Eastern Cape.

With the financial support to Ladles of Love, the FW de Klerk Foundation aims to raise awareness for the needs of vulnerable children in poverty-stricken communities. To make the Constitution a reality for all” is the Foundation’s mission. This goal can only be achieved if all sectors and actors of society work together. For more information about

Ladles of Love visit : www.ladlesoflove.org.za