Meet Venetia Orgill AKA 'Angel of the Garden' who provides meals to CPT's homeless
"They are my family. Some of them call me ma so how can I not be a ma for them? It is that love that keeps me going," says Venetia Orgill.
Lester Kiewit speaks to Venetia Orgill.
Orgill is named 'Angel of the Garden' for providing meals to the homeless in the Company Gardens in Cape Town.
She started this initiative years ago when she helped her friend search for her missing son on the streets of Cape Town.
While Orgill's friend's son returned home, quit drugs and found a permanent job - Orgill had the idea to help the City's homeless.
During the search, Orgill met and spoke to many homeless people in the City who all reminisced on one thing... missing a home cooked meal.
The next week, Orgill went back with a pot of soup and spaghetti and fed about 35 people on the first night. She couldn't believe the joy it brought to many and kept it going.
Now, Orgill helps feed hundreds while making connections with many people along the way - hence 'Angel of the Garden' while others also call her 'ma'.
"They are my family. Some of them call me ma so how can I not be a ma for them? It is that love that keeps me going".
- Venetia Orgill
Orgill says one thing she notices while talking to those she helps, is how homelessness and mental illness intersect.
"With love and care it can be turned around. Sometimes, it's not just mental illness, it's just yearning for their family, yearning to be loved, yearning to be accepted in life and seen as a human being. So when you show them some attention and some love and hug them - it makes all the difference".
- Venetia Orgill
The 'Angel of the Garden' greets everyone by name, some ask for a quick meeting with her afterwards just to chat and she does.
Some of those chats are life-changing as Orgill has helped get many people off the streets and helped them get clean from drug-use.
Orgill says she'll never stop going back to help.
Scroll up to the audio player listen to the full conversation.