Two brothers, from Wynberg in Cape Town, are community heroes for the work they do to put food on the tables of people financially impacted by the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). 
This virus was detected in South Africa in March 2020.
Faieck and Joe Samodien’s Invisible Hands feeding scheme – in partnership with other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is providing meals to those who lost their jobs due to COVID-19.
The NGOs who have partnered with the feeding scheme are responsible for identifying people that have lost their income due to COVID-19.
The brothers have cooked and delivered over 1.2 million meals since COVID-19 broke out in South Africa.
Even though the feeding scheme primarily help those affected by COVID-19, anyone who needs a meal is assisted.
“We cook the meals in Joe’s garage and, then, have our workers distribute the food,” explains Faieck.
He says other NGOs collect food from Invisible Hands to distribute in their areas of operation.
Faieck says that in December 2021, they reached their milestone of one million people fed.
The brothers receive support and funding from friends, colleagues and businesses.
Their meals – ranging from soups and bredies to rice dishes, are cooked in over 100 pots with a 100-litre capacity. Meals are prepared every weekday and on some Saturdays.
“We started Invisible Hands with the aim of helping the poor years earlier, but when COVID-19 hit, we saw that a lot of people lost their sources of income and we ramped up our operations,” says Faieck.
He adds the demand for their food was high during the Level 5 lockdown in March 2020. “People were losing jobs and businesses were closed. A lot of people ended up relying on our service.”
When he realised the desperate need in the community, Joe retired from his job in the hospitality industry to focus full-time on Invisible Hands. Faieck, who says he too, hopes to join the NPO full time, says that the community has welcomed the food with warmth and appreciation.
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