ABOUT US
How we began
In June 2014, Kerry Hoffman spent a day sharing soup and sandwiches with people living on the street. This relaxed social gathering – and the regular monthly social events that followed for the next five years, helped us understand the complexity of homelessness and the inadequacies of the existing interventions. The early years cemented Souper Troopers in the social capital of the streets with our ethos of dignity, love and respect and taught us that each person on the street had their own story and needed individualised support to move forward.
What we do
Souper Troopers helps homeless people take the steps necessary to make sustainable changes in their lives. Those homeless people who come to us wanting to change their lives are Troopers. We operate The Humanity Hub (in collaboration with Mini Meltdown, Ladles of Love, and Community Chest), a service centre at which we address the holistic needs of a human being, starting with the most basic needs (like clothes, food, toiletries) and working through a full range of services (including counselling, skills training, medical referrals, family mediation, job preparation, creative workshops, micro entrepreneurial opportunities).
During the COVID lockdown that started in March 2020 we marshalled all of our resources and contacts to fundraise for soup kitchens and community feeding schemes across the Western Cape, raising over R1m to support over 150 organisations and individuals feeding the poor in their communities. We are so grateful to the many donors who trusted us to deliver much-needed relief to hundreds of thousands of South Africans left devastated by the lockdown. We continue to support 5 feeding schemes thanks to specific donors who fund these kitchens on an ongoing basis.
How we do it
Our overarching ethos is DIGNITY, LOVE & RESPECT in all that we do. Our psycho-social development model involves our experienced fieldwork team working with each trooper individually using our CAST model: CONNECT | ASSESS | SUPPORT | TRANSFORM.
We have recently received funding to employ 25 troopers who are on their CAST journey, enabling us to work with them daily on their paths to independence. This newly launched Souper Squad project pays each team member a stipend to work on projects for communities and institutions needing help to improve their neighbourhoods and facilities – think gardening, painting, clean ups, makeovers, youth engagement … the possibilities are endless.
Part of the Souper Squad program includes compulsory group workshops, creative outlets like art and music, skills training, and other activities aimed at preparing them for their future working lives. As part of their transformation, these Troopers have an opportunity to step up and improve life for others, uplifting themselves at the same time. They learn skills, gain experience, take personal responsibility, and forge relationships – all crucial aspects of their CAST journey – while building their CVs to ensure future independence.
Where we do it
The Humanity Hub is situated on the ground floor of the Community Chest Building at 82 Bree Street and is open beneficiaries by appointment on Mondays and Thursdays from 8.30–3. This is the address at which we accept donations of clothing, shoes, toiletries, non-perishable food, and any other household items.
We are so grateful to Community Chest for accommodating us in their premises.
PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
PARTNERS
We are so proud that these amazing businesses have chosen to partner with and support Souper Troopers, and we encourage you to support these heartful organisations. Find out how you can partner with us.
BFG Financial Services – Our pro bono accountants have worked with us over the years always ensuring our records are up to date. Their willingness to help and be available when we need them is crucial to our governance and we remain so grateful for their time and expertise.
Capital International Group – The global team at CIG are the perfect example of how a corporate/NPO partnership should work. They donate to us monthly; their Isle of Man CEO provides strategic business input; their marketing team support our campaigns and create their own to publicise our partnership; the staff get involved in our events and collections; they buy our coffee for their office machine; and promote us at every opportunity.
CNC Products – This family food supply business is our raison d’être. Started by Kerry’s grandfather and mother, CNC taught us everything we know about relationships, networking, and going the extra mile with a smile. They continue to support us in so many ways – linking us with their prestigious hotel and restaurant clients, sponsoring prizes, selling our coffee, and promoting us at every opportunity.
Community Chest – We are so grateful to Community Chest for providing the space for The Humanity Hub, sharing their resources with us, giving strategic input, and so much more.
Dis-chem Foundation – Since first hearing about us on Kieno Kammies’ Cape Talk show over four years ago, the Foundation has provided us with monthly credit to make sure that our Troopers have toiletries and non-perishable snacks. We are so grateful for their ongoing support that helps our Troopers feel dignified.
Khulisa Social Solutions – Our link to Khulisa is through their Streetscapes Community Projects, which creates work opportunities for people on the streets. We have recently been selected as one of their partners on a government funded project that sees us employing 25 Troopers.
Ladles of love – We love collaborating with Ladles of Love in The Humanity Hub. They support us in many ways including making their resources available to us when we need them and sharing their skills.
Mensch – We are proud to be a member of The Mensch Network, a network of Jewish social changemakers. Mensch support us in so many ways – arranging fundraising events, linking us to like-minded people, promoting us at every opportunity, and hosting training workshops and presentations at which we learn new skills.
Mini Meltdown – In Peter and Lesley we found kindred souls who care as much about our Troopers as we do. They use their connections to link us to so many opportunities and their skills to help wherever they can.
SA Online – We have received incredible technical support with our emails and hosting from this company. Changing service providers is never easy, but they made it a smooth transition. We are so grateful for the individuals that connect us to these opportunities of support.
Salushi Express – From its amazing owner (and his dog) who have been volunteers for years, to donating prizes for our raffles, and now buying our coffee to serve, this is a sushi restaurant with a big heart.
Surgo – We love the energy and can-do attitude of the Surgo team. Always there for us, they sponsored t-shirts, provided a pull-up banner, give ongoing marketing, PR and design input, will link our Troopers to call centre work opportunities, and will provide training workshops.
Website Design – We are so grateful to them for the ongoing website support and development (thanks for this website!). It really is so valuable for us to work with people that care and help us communicate our vision.
Werksmans – Our pro bono attorneys, Werksmans have supported us in so many ways. This includes legal advice and representation, financial and computer hardware donations, linking us to their vast network, volunteering time to put on a pop-up clothing shop for the Troopers, and standing up for us publicly. We are so grateful to have a firm of their stature on our side.
SUPPORTERS
We are so grateful to these organisations and personalities that have over the years donated products, made spaces available, or shared their talents with us: