Service Dining Rooms

17/08/2026

We were deeply saddened to recently learn of the passing of the wonderful and inimitable Coco Blankenberg.

Many of our staff have known Coco for years. In commemoration, Naz wrote:

"Coco was a client who was always full of smiles when she came to the Dining Rooms. She will deeply be missed bythe staff and clients at SDR."

And Nozi wrote:

"Coco wa one of our bubbliest clients, full of smiles and jokes. When she came to the Dining Rooms we knew she was in because of how she liked to greet and joke, always complementing the food and saying thank you. She will be sorely missed."

Rest well, dear Coco. We will never forget the sunshine your smile always brought.

13/08/2026

Green Hands Trust

09/08/2026

On Women’s Day, we honour pioneering women who saw what needed to be done and had the courage to begin. At The Service Dining Rooms, we have particular reason to remember one such woman, Doris Syfret.

More than 90 years ago, she founded our organisation. More than this, she secured its future by providing the land and building that, nearly a century later, remain our home and the place from which we continue our work.

Doris Syfret's vision has endured because it was built on something solid: a practical response to human need and the determination to create something that would last.

Thank you, Doris Syfret, for your kindness and remarkable legacy.

29/07/2026

When Earl's team at Amazon Web Services call on 'all hands' to make Boerewors Rolls, they deliver the Boerewors Rolls, too, and then also help out with service! The result is that more than 300 clients are delighted by the bestest Boerewors Rolls south of the North Pole!

06/07/2026

Such a lovely video from Fouzia van der Fort of the Atlantic Sun. Thank you 😃👏🏼!

06/07/2026

🎉 Tshoe! ⏰ Time is seriously flying. One minute we were just a few days away from our very first Founder's Day, commemorating our 91st Anniversary 🎂🎈... the next, it was over! 💨

📰 As this report by the Atlantic Sun's Fouzia van der Fort reflects, it was a truly special occasion.

Cape Town's Service Dining Rooms celebrates 91 years of vital community support and compassion on Founder’s Day.

01/07/2026

30/06/2026

How about these special guys from First Aid Training Skills, Johan 😍 and Mike 😍. They provided excellent Fire Fighting and First Aid training for our team at SDR, and then set us properly on our safety way by providing four equipped First Aid kits and five new DCP Fire Extinguishers. Thanks doesn’t begin to say it!

25/06/2026

Safety Equipment 🧯⛑️ is something we hope never to need but are deeply grateful to have.❤️♥️

Today we received a wonderfully generous donation from Mike and Johan, the hugely supportive Fire Fighting and First Aid trainers from FATSkills: Four fully-equipped First Aid Boxes and five (Yes, FIVE) 🧯🧯🧯🧯🧯DCP Fire Extinguishers. If that wasn't enough, they brought Albrecht (L) and (Devan (R) from North Star Health and Safety Pty Ltd with them, and North Star gifted us two new Safety Blankets. But wait folks ..... there's more ....

While Mike put our kitchen team through their first aid paces, Albrecht and Devan set about installing the new equipment!

A heartfelt thank you to FATSkills and the North Star team for helping us protect not only our premises, but the people within them.

This generous and thoughtful contribution strengthens our ability to provide a safer environment for our clients, staff and volunteers every single day.

24/06/2026

We know that all good things must come to an end 😕 but it would be sooo nice if they didn’t have to.

Today we had to bid farewell to a marvelous team of volunteers from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), (L to R), Zizipho, Nonka and Siya.

They have been the most marvelous help, readily slotting in for all sorts of duties, from chopping carrots 🥕 by the kilometer, to washing dishes 🍽️, sweeping floors🧹, washing down tables 🧼🧽, cooking 👨🏽‍🍳👩🏼‍🍳, and serving clients with grace and kindness.

Thank you dear students for the wonderful energy ⚡️and laughter you brought to us all. We will miss you very much! Nozi, Naz, Ikraam, Tougeedah, Auntie and Janey. 🥰😍😘