So there it is, the last Soup Kitchen session of 2017. What a fantastic year. I cannot believe we are almost at our first anniversary which is the 19th January. It was a quieter night than usual, only 24 people being welcomed.
Jan as usual did an amazing job in the kitchen. We still had some Christmas treats left over. We had been donated finger rolls from Waitress this week so it was hot dogs on the menu along with soup, pasties and rolls.
One of our clients has been served an eviction notice, but hopefully I have a solicitor to help them. This issue has opened a thought process that professional legal support is something our clients would appreciate. We now need to find a volunteer with such legal knowledge to be their voice from a legal perspective, to give help and advice that neither they or we have in our armoury. Many are so vulnerable, frightened and do not have anyone to help them and nobody to turn to. If you know anyone in the legal profession who may help assist us and happy to volunteer, please ask them to get in contact. I shall make this a New Year Resolution.
Christmas morning I lent a Christmas hat to one of my homeless chaps and asked if he would bring it back to me this evening’s Soup Kitchen. As soon as we opened at 6.00pm, he came over to me with the hat with a huge thank you. It is so humbling to see these fabulous people gaining relationships and respect for others. Our relationships are two way. It is important to all our volunteers that we trust and respect our clients, it shows that all the time we put in helps them on their journey allowing them the opportunity to forge mutual respectful relationships again.
We had some amazing donations come in and met our young Newbury celebrity Cohen Roberts who has been collecting for the homeless. Please see our article about him.
Even though it was a quieter this evening it did give us more time to sit and chat for longer to our clients. After all listening is a major part of what we like to do, food is just a small part of what we provide.
A great atmosphere!
Happy New Year!