The art of love is God at work through you
Isaiah 58:10
If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
Who We Are
We are a faith-based ministry committed to showing the love of Christ through real, practical, hands-on acts of care and by building strong, lasting relationships.
From feeding families and providing clothing, to supporting those in crisis, doing outreach work, and standing beside the vulnerable — to offering discipleship and support. Everything we do is rooted in love, hope, dignity, and faith.
Our heart is Golden Valley, Blanco — where we actively serve nearly 700 children and their families. We meet them where they are and walk with them through their challenges while building trust, connection, and hope.
Love must be more than words.
Love takes action. Love shows up. Love works.
Love looks like something.
served in Golden Valley
across Golden Valley
each day
one child per month
Where God placed us.
Meet the Team
Love Looks Like Something is led by a team of women who responded to a calling and never looked back. Their presence in Golden Valley is daily, constant, and deeply personal.
Alette is the founder and director of both Love Looks Like Something and Elpida. She heard God's call and began this work in Golden Valley in 2020 — and everything that has grown from it, including the long-term vision of Elpida, carries the fingerprint of her faithfulness.
Abigail works intensely with the children of Golden Valley — leading education support, mentorship, counselling, and discipleship. She is a deep, daily presence in their lives.
Carla is deeply connected in the valley — with the children and the adults. She runs the soup kitchen and knows everyone and everything that goes on. Her roots in this community run deep.
Jeanne is the administrator of Love Looks Like Something and COO of Elpida. She received a vision from God for what this community could become, heard of Alette's work in Golden Valley, and joined hands with the team to help build it into something lasting.
Our Initiatives
Soup Kitchen
Every day at lunchtime, a bell rings in Golden Valley — and children come running from every corner of the valley. It is one of the most joyful sights in this community: the lines forming, the laughter, the excitement, and the quiet certainty that there is enough for everyone. That knowledge alone — that there is enough — is the foundation of something beautiful.
Our soup kitchen operates from within the valley itself, renting a small space from one of the local families and employing people from the community to run it. Sandwiches and soup, every single day of the week. We serve an average of 150 children each day, drawn from the nearly 700 children across Golden Valley that we walk alongside and support. It costs around R45,000 a month to keep the kitchen running — sustained entirely by cash and food donations — which works out to approximately R300 per child per month.
You will often see very young children arriving on their own, or small children with babies on their hips — because in Golden Valley, everyone takes care of each other. The soup kitchen did not just feed a community. It gave one permission to believe in itself.
School Projects
We work directly within local schools to provide resources, support, and a sense of belonging for learners who struggle to keep up. Each year we raise approximately R200,000 to fund school supplies for the nearly 700 children in our community — stationery, uniforms, and the practical tools that make education possible for families who simply cannot afford them.
But our school initiative goes beyond supplies. We track attendance. We ask questions when children are absent. We look for the barriers that stand between a child and their education — and we work to remove them, one by one, so that every child has a real chance at breaking this cycle of poverty.
Christmas Party
Every child deserves to experience joy. For five years in a row, our annual Christmas celebration has been a moment that children in Golden Valley look forward to all year long — and one they will never forget.
Each of our nearly 700 children receives a specially put-together Christmas pack — valued at R150 per child — as well as a gift of their own. The party itself is a full celebration: food, music, laughter, and the simple but powerful declaration that these children are seen, valued, and deeply loved. We fundraise for this every year, and every year the community of people who make it possible continues to grow.
Education Assistance
We walk with families through the practical side of schooling — helping to enrol children who have fallen through the cracks, sourcing uniforms, covering school fees, and providing tutoring support. Education is the longest bridge out of poverty, and we are committed to helping children cross it.
Abigail spends much of her time in the valley with the children directly — offering education support, mentorship, counselling, and discipleship. She builds the kind of trust that makes it safe for a child to tell the truth about what is happening at home. Someone from our team is on the ground every single day — noticing when a child is missing and asking why, because removing the obstacles to school is one of the most powerful things we can do for this generation.
Discipleship
Our discipleship work is at the heart of everything we do. Twice a week, our team is in the valley running discipleship and mentoring programmes — not only with children, but with the adults in their lives. We believe that lasting change in a child's life begins with the people raising them, and so we invest in supporting parents, caregivers, and community members to become stronger, more stable anchors for the children who depend on them.
Through Bible studies, prayer groups, and one-on-one mentorship, we walk alongside people as they discover faith, build spiritual foundations, and find a community that holds them. Lasting transformation is both practical and spiritual — and discipleship is where those two things meet.
Outreach
We go to where people are. Our outreach team conducts regular home visits, street walks, and community days — building relationships with families, identifying needs before they become crises, and bringing practical support directly to those who are least likely to ask for it.
This includes our elderly community members, who are among the most vulnerable and most easily overlooked. We provide food packs, meet practical needs as they arise, and sit with those who would otherwise be entirely alone. During times of crisis — like our current storm appeal — this same outreach infrastructure allows us to respond quickly and directly to the families who need us most.
Elderly
The elderly in Golden Valley are among the most vulnerable and most overlooked. We visit, we listen, we provide, and we sit with those who carry years of hardship and are often entirely alone. Our work with the elderly is a quiet act of honouring the dignity that poverty and neglect can strip away — reminding them that they have not been forgotten.
Community Uplifting
Beyond individual care, we invest in the fabric of the community itself — creating safe spaces, facilitating skills development, and supporting families to break cycles of poverty. We believe that Golden Valley has the resilience to rebuild, and we are committed to being a consistent, trusted presence as that process unfolds.
We are surrounded by a beautiful community of supporters who give generously and practically — clothing drives, blanket donations, and material support that reaches families in the valley directly and quickly, especially in moments of crisis. This network of givers is as much a part of the work as the team on the ground. Together, we are building something that lasts.
One life at a time — this is how a community changes.
Our Vision
To see communities transformed by the love of Christ through practical care, restored dignity, and renewed hope.
Why Golden Valley?
Golden Valley is a community rich in resilience but deeply affected by poverty, unemployment, abuse, and generational trauma. Many families face daily struggles for food, safety, and stability. Children are often forced to grow up too quickly, carrying responsibilities and fears far beyond their years.
We chose Golden Valley because this is where the need is urgent and the voices are unheard. Here, a single act of kindness can mean the difference between despair and hope.
We believe that lasting change begins where people are seen, valued, and supported consistently. Here is where God placed our hearts.
Our Mission
Feeding the hungry. Clothing the needy. Supporting families in crisis. Sharing the Gospel through prayer, outreach, and discipleship. We walk alongside people, believing that true transformation happens when hearts, minds, and lives are restored.
Challenges
- Widespread child hunger and food insecurity
- Children not enrolled in school or far behind academically
- High levels of abuse, neglect, and trauma
- Lack of safe spaces, guidance, and spiritual support
- Families trapped in cycles of poverty and hopelessness
Our Response
- Daily meals through our soup kitchen
- Clothing, school uniforms, and basic necessities
- Educational support, tutoring, and school enrolment assistance
- Weekly Bible studies, prayer groups, and discipleship
- Home visits, counselling, and community outreach
Outcomes
- Children are fed daily
- Improved school attendance and learning progress
- Children gaining confidence, structure, and hope
- Families feeling supported and no longer alone
- Lives transformed through faith, dignity, and care
From Hunger to Hope
served in Golden Valley
What began as a simple sandwich for a hungry child in 2020 has grown into a daily feeding programme serving an average of 150 children each day, drawn from nearly 700 children across Golden Valley that we walk alongside and support. For many of these children, a meal from our soup kitchen is the most reliable meal of their day — and the assurance that someone cares.
Five years of unbroken daily presence. At R300 per child per month to fund the kitchen — and R45,000 in total each month — every contribution makes a measurable difference. Every portion represents a family seen. A child valued. A community beginning to believe that change is possible.
James 2:15–17 — "If a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food... but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?"
It is truly a privilege to stand behind this incredible non-profit organisation and support the remarkable work they do in Golden Valley, Blanco. Love Looks Like Something faithfully serves the community with compassion, dignity, and unwavering commitment, often working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring hope and practical support to those in need. Alette, Abigail, and their phenomenal team are an invaluable asset to our community. Their hearts for people, willingness to serve, and consistent dedication make a tangible difference in so many lives. Whether responding in times of crisis or simply showing up with love and care, they continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around them. We are deeply grateful for all that they do and for the impact they continue to make in Golden Valley and beyond.
Gallery
Five years of daily presence in Golden Valley, captured. These are the faces, moments, and realities of the community we love — including the storm damage that deepened the urgency of our work.
From a soup kitchen
to something that lasts forever.
Love Looks Like Something is the founding ministry behind Elpida — a large-scale vision to build permanent, purpose-built facilities in Golden Valley that will serve this community for generations.
Five years of daily presence taught us what this community truly needs to flourish. A daily meal sustains life. But a school, a trauma centre, counselling facilities, and sports grounds can transform it. That is what Elpida is building.
The soup kitchen was the seed. Elpida is the harvest we are believing for.
Elpida — The Vision in Numbers
proof of need
types planned
this will serve
Elpida (Greek: ελπίδα) — Hope. A name that carries the promise of what Golden Valley is becoming.
How Can You Help?
Every contribution — whether of time, resources, or prayer — makes a real difference in Golden Valley. Your generosity directly funds the daily work of feeding, educating, and walking alongside the people of this community.
We are an NPO and rely entirely on the support of individuals and organisations who believe that love must be more than words.
Banking Details
Love Looks Like Something is a registered NPO (APPL25-04255). Please use your name as payment reference. For a donation certificate or more information, contact us at admin@lovelookslikesomething.co.za