It all began when Danny Diliberto was inspired to create a project to give back to society as the result of attending a course through the Art of Living foundation (AOL).
As a restaurateur and manager of a Doppio Zero restaurant, feeding homeless people seemed like a logical starting point to Danny, but he was determined to create a new kind of soup kitchen—powered by love and offering comfort to fellow humans who have temporarily lost their way.
Our first Love Kitchen dates back to July 2014, and continues to take place every Tuesday outside Doppio Zero in St George’s Mall in Cape Town’s CBD.
Soon thereafter, we began serving meals in Roeland Street and a third initiative was launched in November 2015, providing meals on Thursdays at the Haven Shelter in Sea Point. As the project grew, we needed a name for the new organisation—and Ladles of Love was born.
Since inception, Ladles of Love has served thousands of meals and continues to grow. In addition to hearty meals we also provide soap and water for a pre-meal wash, along with a blessing when available.
A big drive is to help homeless people leave the street. We’ve helped eight people apply for identity documents, and employed one to help prepare the food.
We are also partnering with One Million Strong to provide meals for schoolchildren, many of whom arrive at school too hungry to learn. We’ve called this project Days of Hope, and it’s part of our vision to move beyond celebrating Madiba on just one day of the year.
Ladles of Love is more than just providing food; it’s about dignity, respect, and creating the kind of world we all want to live in. Our volunteers share the joy of serving these meals with the people who are receiving them. For them it’s much, much more than feeding the hungry – it’s about feeding the souls both of those being fed and those doing the feeding.
This is where it all began. We are currently feeding around 800 people per week at three venues, and the numbers are growing!
Join us in the fun:
Find out how to get involved.
In December 2014 we collaborated with the Central Methodist Mission to serve their annual Christmas lunch, where we set up beautiful tables in the boulevard of Church Street in the heart of the Mother City and our volunteers lovingly served 650 meals, 1000 juices and 1000 cupcakes. Entertainment was provided, and everyone also received a gift.
Most importantly, these people were able to forget they were homeless for one day as they received the blessing of the Christmas spirit.
Contact us to find out how you can get involved in our 2016 Christmas lunch celebration.
Many hundreds of thousands of children go to school hungry every day. How can children learn when they are hungry? How can you teach children maths, or how to have a great attitude in life when they haven’t had a meal?
Ladles of Love knows how to feed bodies and souls, and we decided to get involved. This project is called Days of Hope, and it is part of the MandelaDay&Beyond initiative we launched with other like-minded organisations.
This is the first small step in the next phase of our journey to build a better society, and we’re happy to say that we have identified the first school we will help.
Ladles of Love has partnered with One Million Strong, an organisation dedicated to impacting and transforming the lives of our youth currently they are working with thousands of learners throughout South Africa (and outside its borders), focusing on life skills, sport, drama and curriculum development.
As a corporate you can benefit from the CSI investment.
Contact us to find out how you can help.
WE’RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE OUR ROLE IN A NEW PARTNERSHIP – WE’VE JOINED FORCES WITH LIKE MINDED ORGANISATIONS TO CREATE “DAYS OF HOPE”
Days of Hope is about creating long-lasting, sustainable relationships with local schools and providing resources and educational programmes for underprivileged students. Days of Hope launched with our first event in August 2016 with a day of inspiration, education, music, fun and food at Delta Primary School, Steenberg.
The kids, teachers and volunteers had a fantastic time as they participated in what was a hugely successful day for all.
Our end goal is to provide funding to supplement the existing feeding scheme that the schools run.
This was a very exciting opportunity to create a successful model to replicate in other schools in the very near future. Watch this space!
Edgar always looks forward to the soup kitchen on Tuesdays as it fills more than just his tummy. ‘We can taste the love in it,’ he says.
Edgar is one of thousands of people who, for various reasons, have found themselves homeless and reliant on the kindness of others.
School Principal, Mr Palanyandi, is incredibly passionate about instilling a sense of pride in the learners – in both their school and their community.
Ladles of Love aims to raise enough funding to allow the small but dedicated school kitchen team to feed everybody who needs it.
We felt privileged to be a part of this wonderful school.
Daphne has faced many hardships in her life. Born into a family damaged by drugs and alcoholism, Daphne survives on the streets whilst her children are cared for by her sister.
Despite this she always arrives with a big smile and grateful heart.
“In the beginning we never set out to start an organisation. Our goal was to restore some dignity by providing sustenance to homeless people through healthy, freshly prepared food and treating them, not as homeless people, but as human beings. To start off with we didn’t have a name for the kitchen and referred to it as ‘The Love Kitchen.’”
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Three times a week, the Doppio Zero kitchen crew prepare the food for the soup kitchens.
Our crew includes Xolani, one of the homeless people we feed, who helps to cut and prepare the veggies.
The slow-cooked food is wholesome, thick vegetarian stews containing vegetables and pulses with a careful blend of spices to create a nutritional, flavoursome meal.
It’s not only about feeding the less privileged, but about feeding the souls of the volunteers.
“It started with one thought, one pot, one person and now it’s a HUGE movement. I just want to THANK YOU for LADLES OF LOVE and all the special people it’s brought into my life! Because of you we are able to do SEVA and connect in ways that brings such joy and purpose and I’m so grateful for you!” – Michelle, Volunteer
Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, The Art of Living is an educational and humanitarian movement engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. The organization operates globally in 152 countries and has touched the lives of over 370 million people
With restaurants in Gauteng & Western Cape, each Doppio Zero’s has its own unique flavour. They all pride themselves on being part of their local communities, and Doppio Zero Mandela Rhodes Place, run by Danny Diliberto in St George’s Mall, Cape Town, is a shining light.
A network of organisations with one goal in mind – reaching out to the youth and developing the next generation of leaders.
