Johannesburg - “This is the secret,” Ensley Britoe chuckles, as he blows a whistle.
Instantly, the children who had been playing around his house run to form two queues in front of a table with a big pot on it.
Over 70 children in Eldorado Park Extension 2 are fed each week by Britoe’s non-profit organisation, the Gail Britoe Foundation.
This dedication to his community has earned him an SA Men of the Year Awards nomination in the community development category.
Britoe and his neighbour, Juanita Crawage, started the foundation three years ago on Mandela Day.
“My neighbour ‘Aunty Pop’ and I decided to feed 67 kids for the day.
“It touched both of us so much that I knew this is it, this is my calling,” said Britoe.
The foundation was named after his late mother.
“She was the most beautiful, caring, humble person ever. She was mentally disturbed; she lost her memory a long time ago, but she always took care of us. This is something she would’ve loved to have done one day,” Britoe explained.
The IT company he worked for gave him Wednesdays off to run the feeding scheme. But when it was liquidated, Britoe decided to focus on the foundation exclusively.
He and Crawage provide the children, aged between 2 and 16, with one cooked meal a week.
But Britoe says children knock on his door every day and he makes sure they always leave with a snack or a treat.
“I do it out of my pocket, but I get some funds,” he said.
He was surprised when he was nominated for the SA Men of the Year Awards, a Gauteng Department of Social Development initiative which encourages communities to identify positive role models.
“I’m honoured and humbled,” he said with a big smile.
Britoe is also involved with the local community police forum and the Eldorado Park Local Drug Action Committee.
“I go out in our community. If someone comes and says, ‘Ensley, we’ve got this problem’, I’ll make it my duty to go.”
He has also organised a blanket drive for a local old-age home and is starting a community vegetable garden.
Britoe dreams of being able to feed the children at least three times a week and wants to expand the project.
For the foundation’s third anniversary last month, Cell C donated a container and groceries. “My heart’s desire is to put a container in each and every extension,” he said.
The foundation would also like to distribute food parcels in the community, but they need sponsorship and donations to achieve these goals.
As Britoe pours juice for the children, one boy runs and hugs him around his legs.
He’s taught them to wash their hands and pray before meals and is strict when they don’t say please or thank you, clearly committed to providing them with not only food but love and support.
The Star