When Starbucks Parkhurst donated 100 reusable items to the Bet on Better NPO after the community walk on 10 May, founder Nanine Levitz wasn’t thinking about what was given. She was thinking about hands.
In Groot Marico, winter mornings bite. Families gather at the Bet on Better soup kitchen each week. Grandparents raising grandchildren. Mothers who skip meals so their children can eat. Pensioners stretching too little across too many mouths. For them it meant warmth, care and comfort. They will come back with something that is theirs to keep.
“Some see a cup as just a cup,” says Levitz. “For us it carries dignity and kindness.”
Bet on Better began with a decision to catch the people falling through the cracks. From soup kitchens and blanket drives to dignity packs and educational support, the NPO works before sunrise and long after the pots are washed. The hardest part is the growing need. More households ask for help while donations shrink. And still, Levitz says, generosity surprises her. “Often the ones who give the most are the ones who have the least.”
The walk showed that spirit. Strangers connected, a business stepped forward and the donation became a lifeline for families facing the winter.
Bet on Better is asking the public to help carry the town through winter. Beyond food, the kitchen urgently needs cooking oil, gas, firewood, blankets, warm clothing, socks, and beanies. Weekly support matters more than one-off gestures because hunger does not wait.
