In a heartfelt ceremony on 6 October, the FW de Klerk Foundation presented its 2022 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award to Ladles of Love founder Danny Diliberto.
Ladles of Love is a non-profit organisation that aims to provide meals to people living in abject poverty in the Cape Peninsula and Gauteng.
Mr Diliberto started his first soup kitchen in 2014, serving homeless people in Cape Town nutritious meals every week. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation grew exponentially – becoming one of the largest non-profit providers of food relief in South Africa, serving impoverished communities via a network of 200 soup kitchens.
Since March 2020, Ladles of Love has procured and provided food to serve over 31 million meals, and continues to feed 35 000 people a day, relying solely on grants, funding, and individual donations.
Mr Diliberto attributes the ongoing success of the organisation to the army of volunteers that has come together to support their efforts – ordinary South Africans from across all social strata joining forces to help make a difference. “By working together, we can do more, reach further, and uplift communities to support themselves,” he shares.
The FW de Klerk Goodwill Award was established in 2010 to give recognition to individuals and organisations that have made extraordinary contributions to the promotion of goodwill between South Africans.
In an intimate ceremony at the Foundation’s new offices in Gardens, Cape Town, Elita de Klerk presented the award – along with a donation – to Mr Diliberto, with both sharing their heartfelt desire to serve South Africa during these trying times.
The event was attended by more than 50 prestigious guests, who joined to honour the joyous occasion.
Mr Diliberto follows in the footsteps of the remarkable previous recipients of the award: Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Danny Jordaan (2011); author, actor and activist Pieter-Dirk Uys (2012); bursary organisation Studietrust (2013); businessman Patrice Motsepe (2014); youth empowerment programme Afrika Tikkun (2015); Adv. Thuli Madonsela and the Office of the Public Protector (2016); the coach and athlete team of Mrs Anna (Ans) Botha and Mr Wayde van Niekerk (2017); NGO and disaster relief group Gift of the Givers (2018); and political economist Moeletsi Mbeki (2020).
Should you wish to join the FW de Klerk Foundation in supporting the Ladles of Love food relief, sustainability, enterprise development or volunteering programmes, visit their website or contact fundraiser Candice Daniels on 082 962 2999 or Candice.daniels@ladlesoflove.org.za.