Ed Asner once said there are genuinely sufficient resources in the world for no one, nowhere, at no time, to go hungry. Standing beside a pot that is almost empty makes you feel how far we are from that truth — and how stubbornly people still try to close the gap with what they have.
ETCO’s Saturdays run on more than good intentions. Donors send the things that keep programmes honest: sacks of rice, cooking oil with a familiar label, utensils that do not bend the first week, sometimes a contribution by M-PESA that arrives exactly when the shopping list turns red.
A working ladle. A pot that sits flat on the jiko. Storage bins that keep weevils out — small details that decide whether food reaches children or gets lost on the way.
We say thank you loudly because equipment and materials are the difference between a promise and a plate. A ladle without a handle still feeds — but badly. A kitchen without storage wastes what little comes in.
People sometimes ask what we need besides food — soap for hands, sturdy sacks for rubbish, a new file for receipts when accountability matters as much as appetite. If you are the kind of donor who likes lists, ask; we will send one that respects your time and our neighbours’ dignity.
If you have been waiting for a perfect moment to help, this is the imperfect one that works: give what you can, when you can — food, funds, or something practical we did not know we needed until you asked.
