Having gone to school without having breakfast and relying on the school nutrition programme for a meal, Athenkosi Kinana knows what it feels like to go hungry.
That experience inspired him to start a Christmas food drive that has grown from feeding just more than 100 people in 2023 to almost 300 last year.
For the past three years, Kinana, 24, has spent Christmas Day preparing meals at his home in Mdantsane before setting off with five volunteers to areas where homeless people are known to gather.
While many families spend the day together around a meal, Kinana and his volunteers spend theirs on the road, handing out food to needy people across the city.
“On Christmas Day, families get together in celebration, but for me it means being on the road delivering warm meals to hundreds of destitute people,” Kinana said.
The team preparesa the meals in Mdantsane, loads them onto a bakkie and distributes them to needy people in the township.
They then travel to Southernwood, Oxford Street and the Quigney area, where they find more people in need of a meal.
Kinana said the initiative had largely been made possible through donations from people who followed his work on social media.
“Many of my followers, especially on Facebook, support the initiative.
“They open their hearts and contribute whatever they can, because no amount is too small,” he said.
For Kinana, who grew up in an informal settlement, the food drive is personal.
He said there were days as a child when he took comfort from the knowledge that when he went to school, he would get a meal through the school nutrition programme.
“I knew school was the only place where it was guaranteed that I would eat, because I would leave on an empty stomach with no hope that by the time I went home there would be food,” he said.
That experience stayed with him and influenced his decision to use what he had to help people who were struggling.
“So, with the little I have, I choose to make a difference to those who have nothing at all, because I know how it feels to be in a helpless position,” Kinana said.
When they started the food drive in 2023, Kinana and his volunteers prepared meals for about 100 people.
By last year, that number had increased to almost 300.
“I honestly never thought this drive would grow into something big,” he said.
As the next Christmas food drive approaches, Kinana expects the number of people needing assistance to increase again.
“I am certain that this year we will have more mouths to feed,” he said.
“This is not just a plate of food. It is giving people hope and restoring their dignity.”
The food drive remains a volunteer-led effort, with Kinana preparing the meals at home with his team before taking them to different parts of the city on December 25.
As the initiative grows, he relies on contributions from supporters to help cover the cost of food and reach more people who would otherwise spend Christmas without a meal.
Zandile George, 29, one of the organisers and volunteers, described Kinana as a kind, loving and generous man who was committed to helping others.
“I was the first person Athi told when he was still in the planning phase of the drive,” she said.
George said Kinana had also supported charity initiatives involving her 19-year-old daughter, who is a pageant contestant, and often took part in community projects.
She described him as reliable and willing to give his time and resources to people, particularly those who were often overlooked.
“As someone who had a difficult childhood, he is still able and willing to help others and give them hope through his motivational talks,” she said.
Sokhana Nombewu nominated Kinana for the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes Awards, recognising his work in supporting vulnerable people in KuGompo City.
Kinana, who started the Chistmas food drive as a 21-year-old, also assists needy primary school pupils by helping to provide them with school shoes.
“He demonstrates that leadership is not determined by age or wealth, but by the willingness to serve others and take action,” Nombewu said.
She said Kinana also used social media to encourage young people to believe they could make a difference regardless of their circumstances.
Nombewu said his consistency over the past three years showed that his community work was more than a one-off effort, but a continued commitment to helping others.
Daily Dispatch
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