Brixton Soup Kitchen prepares for busy Christmas | EUROtoday

As Christmas approaches, Brixton Soup Kitchen is busier than ever. Set up greater than a decade in the past to feed homeless folks, the charity now serves anybody who can’t afford to eat.

Solomon Smith stated he based the charity with cash from his job as a youth employee after being unable to safe funding for the challenge.

He started serving to others after witnessing poverty amongst his friends as a toddler. He stated: “We got cooked meals every day. It’s not until I was actually going to my friend’s house, when I realised poverty. I realised that if they didn’t go out and steal, they were not eating.”

Each month the charity cooks the perfect a part of 7,000 meals – and so they by no means see that demand drop off.

On 21 December, volunteers will not be solely giving out meals, but in addition toys for native kids.

Volunteer Jennifer Wilson grew up on the identical council property as Mr Smith and has recognized him since she was 10. She stated: “There would be children that didn’t get a Christmas present and I’d think it was alien.

“This manner we will guarantee each little one has a gift to open.”

Ms Wilson said the charity also creates secret hampers for those in need.

“Parents will contact myself or Solomon and we ship a Christmas dinner to the home, exterior the door,” she stated.

“We’ll let the mum or dad know that it is there, after which the kid would not know that it was from a soup kitchen, as a result of some mother and father are embarrassed.”

She added that hampers of food are given to all service users, “in order that they really feel needed and so they really feel appreciated”.

Elijah Augustus, one of the soup kitchen’s visitors, said it was a “lifeline” for him.

“It’s one thing that empowers you, offers you power,” he said.

Another visitor, Balasubramanian Sathiabaskaran, said he had high blood pressure and chose to save half of his meal and tuck it away for dinner, so he had something to eat later.

Mr Smith said he launched the charity after witnessing the “trauma of rising up” among his peers, who would steal food and clothes.

“I used to be fairly fortunate to have my mum and my dad at dwelling, the place a number of my mates did not even have mum at dwelling,” he stated.

“If they did not exit and go into Woolworths and steal faculty uniform, they are going to faculty in September with final yr’s uniform.”

The charity’s original aim was to feed people who were rough sleeping, but now it supports anyone in need.

“We was getting folks coming in saying, I’ve obtained a house, however I’m truly struggling,” Mr Smith said. “We was getting a number of younger folks saying, ‘I’m couch browsing’, aged, who’s at dwelling lonely, and single mother and father who’re struggling.”

The charity feeds about 200 people a day with food from local shops, supermarket chains and lots of small personal donations.

It shall be open on Christmas Day till the Christmas dinner runs out.