The sun definitely brought in the people tonight. We had 42 people in total and 35 people by 6.25pm. The kitchen definitely said they noticed the difference this week; they were very busy in the first hour.
Jan made carrot and cumin soup, turkey and ham pie we had a beautiful ham donated from Tesco. Meryl made an apricot and peach tart which was served with custard. Jan also made paneer vegetarian curry, potato salad and a wonderful carrot cake.
The Community Dentists came in today from 4-5pm. Emma and Ashley were lovely. They will be alternating with the nurses for now until we have more available space. One client came in which is wonderful for their first week. Let’s hope that with constant reminding we can get lots more people attending these outreach sessions.
We have had confirmation from the Salvation Army that we can open an extra session during the week. We have grown out of the hall in some ways but at the same time the Salvation Army are very happy to help us expand until we get a building of our own. We will be providing extra outreach and advocacy support for people in our community. We will be looking for volunteers who can help with advocacy. This will be on a Wednesday afternoon.
Advocacy in all its forms seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to:
- Have their voice heard on issues that are important to them.
- Defend and safeguard their rights.
- Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives.
Advocacy is a process of supporting and enabling people to:
- Express their views and concerns.
- Access information and services.
- Defend and promote their rights and responsibilities.
- Explore choices and options
An advocate is someone who provides advocacy support when a person needs it. An advocate might help access information needed or go with a client to meetings or interviews, in a supportive role. Clients may want an advocate to write letters on their behalf, or speak for clients in situations where they do not feel able to speak for themselves.
We are planning to open on a Wednesday to provide a basic drop in with tea coffee, pot noodles and to provide advocacy. Please email volunteer@newburysoupkitchen.org.uk for an application form and volunteer guide if you would like to help. The ability to write letters and make phone calls on behalf of clients will be required. We will provide this service once enough volunteers are in place. DBS Enhanced certificate will be required.
What should you do to help a homeless person struggling in a heatwave?
Homeless people across the UK will suffer from dehydration and sunburn as the heat takes hold this summer.
How you can help:
- Water – access to clean drinking water
- Sunscreen and hats
- Offering shade and/or shelter
Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/24/see-homeless-person-struggling-heatwave-10045279/
We gave out lots of water today, as it was so hot. We had plenty of sun cream and after sun available as many people came in sunburned. We gave out five pairs of tracksuit bottoms and lots of boxer shorts all of which are in constant demand. We are in need of these items along with tents this week, as we are getting low.
You can donate items from our wish list and donations can also be dropped off at the Salvation from 3-5.30pm on a Thursday.
This week many of us were lucky enough to have HEARTSTART training, which is now part of the Soup Kitchen training portfolio. We attended a two-hour training course and learned how to:
- Recognise a heart attack and a cardiac arrest
- Help an unconscious person
- Perform CPR
- Help someone choking
- Respond to serious bleeding.
The Soup Kitchen volunteers are all trained to specific first aid levels from Heartstart, 3 day British Red Cross First Aid at Work and experience from nursing, GP and working as a paramedic. We always ensure that we have at least two first aid trained volunteers on at each session. We never know what may happen during a session from blisters, self-harming to suspected heart attacks we always make sure we are covered to provide appropriate first aid.
Please contact volunteer@newburysoupkitchen.org.uk or find an application form on our website.
