Some stories are too powerful to summarise — they deserve to be felt.

Fred and Martie’s Soup Kitchen in Claremont has long been a beacon of hope. Since 1981, the Hughes family has poured love into this community, ensuring that the most vulnerable—children, the elderly, and struggling families—are fed with dignity and care.

Last year, Hot Cares and HOT 102.7FM made Fred and Martie’s our Nelson Mandela Day project, dedicating 67 hours to transform the rundown kitchen and facilities into something worthy of the heart that lives within those walls. The renovation included a brand-new kitchen, therapy garden, learning centre, bathrooms, and more. “It was like a dream becoming a reality,” said Yolindi Oberholzer. “What I learned through it all is that nothing is impossible until it is done.”

And what a difference that dream has made. Since the transformation, the team has prepared over 208,000 meals in that new kitchen. “We’re proud to say we now cook 800 meals every single day — that’s 4,000 a week and over 17,000 a month,” Yolindi told us. “And it’s not just the food — it’s the love that goes into every single plate, thanks to you.”

But this year, when we returned for our Christmas in July campaign, we found the soup kitchen facing a new challenge: severe water shortages. With taps running dry for weeks at a time, feeding over 600 people a day became almost impossible. “Our JoJo tanks are empty, and the trucks can’t keep up,” Yolindi said. “We can’t clean, cook or grow vegetables. Our elderly are suffering. Our children are thirsty.”

And so — standing at their ‘Tree of Faith’ with a handwritten Christmas wish for water pinned to it — we delivered the ultimate gift: a fully installed borehole, courtesy of Hot Cares and our incredible partner, Silverstar Pay It Forward.

“You’ve given us life today,” Yolindi said tearfully. “Water means we can grow, feed, clean, and live again. You’ve secured our future.”

This is what Christmas in July is about. This is the difference your Teddython donations make. Because when we step in when it matters most, we deliver more than meals — we deliver hope.

This is the difference your Teddython donations made — and with your continued support, we can do even more. Please pledge again this year, and help us change more lives when it matters most.