Lesley-Anne Mulder of Outbound Film says she met up with Alison McCutcheon and Danny Diliberto from Ladles of Love at the beginning of Level 4 of lockdown.

"It immediately became apparent to me that they will need all the help they can get. The enormous task they have undertaken has without a doubt exponentially grown," says Mulder. 

"Their reach has become so wide and is positively impacting so many lives, it would be a crime if we all did not do what we can to facilitate the next major step, which is to help make many more lives self-sustainable," Mulder adds.

"With this in mind, I offered to pull together individuals and small businesses to assist us in filming a public service announcement to help mobilise more funding and support. Andrew Lang of Jupiter wrote the script and from this meeting of minds the TVC was birthed," Mulder says.

"Outbound Film would like to thank all individuals and organisations that brought their expertise to the table with kindness and without reservation, notably the co-director team of Kim Hinrichs and Helen Raine," adds Mulder.

Creative director Andrew Lang at Jupiter Drawing Room says that the Ladles of Love campaign is all about changing the COVID-19 story.

"When Danny Diliberto started his soup kitchen, he began to change the daily story of people living on the streets of Cape Town's CBD. When the pandemic hit, the need ramped up exponentially and people from all over Cape Town joined Diliberto to help change the story to one of hope and compassion," Lang says.

Lang says that a crisis brings out the best and worst in people. "We can let it get to us or we can rise above it. Capetonians have come together to feed over five million meals since the start of lockdown; they've made thousands of sandwiches daily and donated millions of Rands," Lang adds.

"This TV ad is another example of collaborating to change the story. From the production company, actors, directors, crew, equipment hire, catering, location, illustrator, animator, post-production — everyone offered their time and skills to breathe life into this modern-day 'fairytale'," says Lang.

"We tell the story of a boy in a strange time; [it is] the unprecedented year 2020 that we're living through. There's a monster, a hero and a happy ending. We call on everyday 'knights-in-shining-armour' to help us beat the 'hunger monster'," Lang says. 

"Your donation will help us give mothers sustainable food gardens to feed their families," adds Lang.

Lorenzo Plaatjies was the illustrator who brought his style to this ad. "Together, we can change the story in our communities from one where children go to bed hungry to one where families get support to feed themselves and live ever after," Plaatjies says. 

Ladles of Love founder Danny Diliberto says that since lockdown, community needs have been increasing daily. He adds that the organisation has a growing network of over 138 non-profit and community organisations.

"We hope that the emotive TV ad will help Ladles of Love to continue, through its call to action, to rally people who care, to donate money, food and essential items in the spirit of Ubuntu," Diliberto concludes.



For more information, or to donate, visit www.humanityinaction.africa or www.share.hsforms.com. You can also follow Ladles of Love on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.