Ladles of Love smashes world record and feeds thousands [photos]

The non-profit organisation Ladles of Love invited Capetonians to join them in making history with a record-breaking attempt on this year’s Mandela Day to make the most sandwiches ever in an hour. They proceeded to break the world record with a staggering 304 583 sandwiches made and received.

Sandwiches and some ‘Madiba magic’

According to a press release, the organisation exceeded the current South African record by almost 18 000 and smashed the world record by almost 68 000.

The atmosphere at the Ladles of Love headquarters at Sun Exhibits Grand West was electric, as truck after truck arrived to offload the sandwiches collected from 13 depots across the Western Cape.

The final truck off-loaded at 16:00 and the final count was completed by 16:30 when founder, Danny Diliberto excitedly announced via a live stream that Cape Town had in fact reached 304 583 sandwiches made in an hour.

“This feat was no easy task, in just a couple of days we pulled together a network and team that brought this concept to life,” says Founder of Ladles of Love, Danny Diliberto. “This attempt wasn’t just about breaking the record, our aim is to change the COVID-19 story and demonstrate the true spirit of Ubuntu and continue feeding the hungry.”

He says that ‘Madiba magic’ was all over the Mother City on Mandela Day.

“About 195 000 of the sandwiches were dispatched into our NGO network with the remaining sarmies being collected and delivered throughout the next couple of days”, says Diliberto further. “To think over 300 000 people will receive a meal because of this initiative warms my heart and we couldn’t have done it without the support of Cape Town.

“A special thank you to our Ladles of Love family, network and SASKO who sponsored 14 000 loaves of bread and Rhodes Quality who provided the jam, without whom none of this would be possible.”

SASKO’s Executive Marketing Director Le-Anne Engelbrecht said that they are honoured to have been a part of this wonderful initiative.

“Cape Town came together to show that when we work together, we all can make a difference and help someone in need. To SASKO, ‘Taste the care‘ is much more than just a tagline on our ads. It is the way we deliver quality products every day, and how we support our customers and communities. We feel that these values really align with Ladles of Love, so when they approached us with this opportunity, we just had to jump on board and get involved.”

Tamara Patel, Brand Manager at Rhodes Quality echoed her sentiments, “At the heart of the Rhodes Quality brand lies our connection with people and food, and giving back to communities who are in need is a big part of what drives us We are proud to be involved in such a great feeding initiative, bringing sustenance to those less fortunate, and helping the Ladles of Love team to reach their goal of feeding 10 million people on Mandela Day.”

Their main aim

“While the record attempt is exciting, our main aim is to continue to feed millions of people in communities that are in dire need during this challenging time,” Diliberto explained further.

For more information or questions, visit the Ladles of Love on Facebook or to donate R150 to feed someone for a month visit: www.ctloved.co.za