Name: Lavender Hill Sports and Recreation Foundation
Rating: 5

Registered NPC K2019429177

WHO

We have a board of five members. I have listed each Individual and their role below.

Meet the Board
Name	Designation	Active Role
Mark Nicholson	Managing Director	Chairman/ Operations
Hilton Ludick	Vice Chairman	Vice Chairman
Nabuweeya Muller	Treasurer	Treasurer
Ruben Bruintjies	Assistant Treasurer	Assistant Treasurer
Faieka Gasant	Secretary	Secretary

WHAT

My name is Mark Nicholson and I run the Lavender Hill Sports and Recreation Foundation in the Lavender Hill and Retreat area on the Cape Flat. It is predominantly a sports programme in the form of a soccer club, netball club, girls longboarding skate club and dance academy. We started small in 2010 and now have 289 youngsters as registered members of the various clubs. We are very proud of our children and how some of them have managed to be recognised by; the Cape Town Carnival for dance and others by well know football clubs. Our initiative is for the community by the community. We aim prevent young children from falling into gangsterism and gang activities so ripe on the Cape Flats (the place we call home).

Since the hit of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is in the community’s best interest to practice social distancing and comply to the regulations pertaining to lockdown and therefore the clubs have been temporarily closed. We decided to be proactive and address the immediate hunger crisis in the community of Lavender Hill. We have experience in feeding the children from our club since 2010, before each game. Currently feed 500 children and adults twice a day and 2000 people per week. Our feeding scheme is multiple functional where we practice and educate the children regarding the Coronavirus pandemic and how to keep themselves safe. We encourage exerciser while the children are in our care and provide clothing where we identify a feed. We do not have a formal source of funding. We receive food donations from individuals, an organisation called Lavender6 and we have aligned ourselves to the Cape Town Community Action Network where we receive a weekly donation of food supplies. We aim is to eliminate poverty through our feeding initiative.

Real impact needs collaboration. My wife Shireen Nicholson tirelessly cooks pots of food from our home kitchen daily for the feeding scheme; we currently have 12 volunteers (members of our neighbourhood) who are dedicated to servicing the community on a daily basis from the 1st of March 2020. Our volunteers are simply angels, they often work 12 hour long days, treat the children with great care and kindness and all this with zero compensation for their time and efforts. Some very special humans, Lavender6 and Plumstead Community Action Network and some others also help us with food supplies. We appreciate every single grain of rice we receive.

WHY

The demographic in Lavender Hill is 32 000 people based on the consensus done in 2011. We feed 2500 per week by supporting three other neighborhood feeding schemes in the area. We would like to double this and feed 5000 people In the future.

WISHLIST

It cost us R400 to make a pot of food, we make four pots of food per day for two feeding schemes per day. We regularly use ingredients like maize meal, rice, lentils, dahl, vegetables, cooking oil, canned food, canned fish, sugar, milk, spices etc.

We are easily accessible, you can contact me Mark on my cell: 063 567 3739 or via email: mark.soccer425@gmail.com or come and visit us at our feeding station (our home) 32 Tyne Court, Lavender Hill, Cape Town.

Our financial dream for the future looks something like this:

What we need is food essentials for a meal twice a day everyday
A dedicated kombi to transport kids to and from venues and drop off meals for kids during the winter months
A stipend allowance to pay the Director monthly. This will ensure that I work for the community fulltime and sustain my family’s financial needs
We need R100 000 per year to run our outreach successful. We would like to drive good discipline through sport and help children do better holistically but more essentially in their academic life

There are a number of videos/ Interviews we have made this far. Please take your pick from the links provided below:

https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/how-you-can-help-feed-kids-in-lavender-hill-during-lockdown-46718581
Mark Nicholson’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mark.nicholson.927
Interview by the daily voice: https://www.dailyvoice.co.za/news/video-pastor-feeds-and-educates-kids-45575296
Special Assignment: Battlefield of dreams, 21 January 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7rG5NgcuNw

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Raymond Schuller

I have witnessed Mark‘s Feeding project in action and can confirm the great work he and the volunteers are doing in the community of Lavenderhill. Would definitely recommend the Lavenderhill Sports Club if you are a business looking to invest in local community development or individuals wishing to volunteer their service or making a financial contribution.
2 years ago
Kevin Davenport

Mark and his family and friends do fantastic work in the community. Thanks and God’s blessing on them all.
2 years ago
Mark

Amazing feeling to be part of feeding our communities in such a difficult time but its all because we care
2 years ago

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Lavender Hill Sports and Recreation Foundation

Lavender Hill Sports and Recreation Foundation

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