Support from Pick n Pay

Bakery Co-ordinator, Bongani Naholo

 A while ago, Carryou Ministry opened a bakery at the Toekomsrus Drop-in Centre to produce fresh bread for our feeding programmes and also to sell to the local community.
 Baking got underway but subsequently had to stop due to a number of obstacles that cropped up.
 Most notable were alterations to the buildings and surrounds that needed to be done to comply with municipal health regulations.
 In addition, there were power-supply issues with the oven, resulting in it not being able to be used at full capacity.

Determined

 "In the end, because we simply could not afford to sort out these challenges, we put the bakery operations on hold," says Bongani Naholo, Bakery Co-ordinator.
 "But we remained determined to get the bakery up and running again. We applied to the Pick n Pay Foundation for financial assistance and they recently approved a grant that will be used to make changes to the building.
 "The area outside, on the pavement, will be tarred to reduce dust and a roof will be erected over the loading area.
 "I addition, a bullet-proof window will be installed at the sales point and a drip-curtain will be put in.
 "We are in the process of getting quotations from suppliers and, once approved, work will begin. But because of approaching Christmas holidays, that may only happen early next year," he says.
 "When the renovations are done we plan to sell our existing oven and put the proceeds towards one that is more energy-efficient and able to bake up to 120 loaves of bread per hour.
 "Then we will be able to supply not only the nearby community but also spaza shops in the township."

Meet our people: A rising star!

 Bongani Naholo (27) is a rising star at Carryou Ministry!
 As the new Bakery Co-ordinator, he starts work every morning at 04h00 at the bakery at the Toekomsrus Drop-in Centre.
 "That's when we need to begin preparing fresh bread for Carryou's other drop-in centres and feeding programmes, people in the community, many of whom want to grab a hot loaf when on their way to work, as well as for shops in the area'" he says.
 The young man grew up in Mohlakeng, Randfontein, where he completed his high school education.
 "While still at school I worked as a volunteer at Carryou and, in 2006, I became involved with the government's Extended Public Works Programme," he says.
 He has been with Carryou Ministry ever since.
 "I was always interested in computers and, in 2010, Carryou paid for me to complete an information technology, A+ course," he says. "That gave me the skills needed to take care of all the organisation's computer hardware. My function then was to maintain and upgrade Carryou's 14 PCs and laptops -- I had to ensure the machines were always up and running.

Delighted

 "The problem was, once I had everything operating smoothly, there wasn't much more to do so I was delighted when, after some bakery staff members resigned earlier this year, I was asked to help out at the bakery.
 "In 2006 I did a bakery course so it was natural for me to become a Bakery Assistant. I began work at the bakery in July," says Bongani.
 Since then he has been promoted to the position of Bakery Co-ordinator and oversees the day-to-day running of the operation.

 "I love the job and must admit, enjoy baking much more than I do IT.
 "It's exciting to see the business develop and to be part of its growth. In addition to bread, we now also bake vetkoek -- they are proving to be very popular -- and plan to start doing confectionery soon," he says.
 When not working Bongani enjoys soccer and cricket. He plays football for the church team.
 "Most of my weekends are spent involved in church activities and with my fiancé," he says. "We intend getting married next year, if all goes according to plan."

And now ...we're cooking!

 Err...baking...!
 The bakery at the Toekomsrus Drop-in Centre is finally open for business and the surrounding community loves it.
 "It's been a long time coming," says Bakery Manager, Anna Mogase. "We needed to first make a number of changes to meet the requirements of the municipal health authorities but that is now all done and it's all systems go."

 All over the world, charities face an uphill struggle to raise sufficient funds to continue their work. In South Africa, charities and N.G.O.s are finding it increasingly tough, as over 15 million people rely on Government for social grants in order to survive. There just isn't enough Government money to go around.
 It was with this in mind that Carryou Ministry decided they needed to find ways to become self-sustainable and so the idea of opening and running a bakery was born.
 "It's a way of generating income and also supplying bread to our feeding projects," says Carryou General Manager, Rev. Lawrence Mabaso, "in addition it creates jobs for eight people and imparts valuable skills."

 An application for funding for the project was made to the National Development Agency who agreed to provide R350 000 (approximately US$38 000). Equipment was bought and training was set up.
 And finally the dream has become a reality and fresh, hot, bread, straight from the oven, has Toekies residents lining up to buy it.