FOOD for the SOUL

Give us this day our daily bread or shall we say our Daley Bread? Meet Dale Hendricks, the man restoring hope one meal and affirmation at a time

- SAADIQAH SCHROEDER

Deep in the Cape Flats, in Cafda Village, Retreat, a blaze of hope ignited in the form of 33-yearold Dale Hendricks. A sports-management specialist by trade, Dale's passion for his community and youth development was nurtured by his aunt, a prominent community leader.

Now he's leading change as a youth mentor and conference MC for Peace Jam SA (part of the global Nobel Peace Laureateled organisation dedicated to supporting future laureates). In addition, he is the creative mind behind Daley Bread: Something to Get You Through the Day (an online motivational journal and book). And he runs an NPO committed to helping previously disadvantaged communities, which in 2022 garnered a Billions Acts of Peace Award from among 10 million organisations globally.

LEAVE NO CRUMBS

In 2014, along with a group of other passionate young adults, Dale established Restoring Hope to assist communities that need it most. By utilising accessible resources and support from established organisations, the team has bettered the lives and circumstances of countless people.

Through their work, they run successful drives for school clothing and stationery, blankets and clothing, and food, gathering and distributing what they can.

Like many community-based NPOs, Restoring Hope relies significantly on the backing of networks, donors, volunteers and partnerships. "Given our limited access to resources, the collective support of everyone involved is crucial for our operations," Dale explains.

He enthuses about his incredible team, each of them juggling fulltime jobs yet still ensuring the success of youth-development programmes and initiatives. He describes the team as characterised by "strong leadership, dedication, passion and drive".