London Soup Kitchen

LONDON

Wednesday was in the middle of last week's cold snap - the temperature had significantly dropped so we were once again loaded up with hats/gloves and handwarmers... just when we thought it was safe to pack them all away! The lovely people at Masato Beanies has sent some funky hats which arrived in timely fashion ! Lovely tomato and herb pasta, vegetable soup, sausage rolls & a variety of savoury and sweet treats were on offer - Thanks to Coco for cooking and CITY HARVEST for donating the food. One of our homeless friends had just been released from hospital - he'd been admitted with acute cellulitis - we keep in touch with him, and I'd been sent some pretty gruesome photos of his legs leading up to his admission. So it was great to see him looking chirpy (and legs are definitely on the mend) . It's was quieter at our first stop than it has been in recent weeks, which was great, because we could catch up properly with everyone who attended. One of our friends - who has cancer- is still on the streets - we gave him new thermals and warm clothing - he seems to be losing weight rapidly, but is currently refusing to go into a hostel. We saw a young couple we hadn't seen for a while - they both looked well, and told us how they had 'removed themselves ' from the area so they could detox themselves from SPICE .. They now have a room and are offering to volunteer at Mikes Gardening group in Ebury ❤ We met a new dog- one of our volunteers had met it before and had HUGE concerns for its health - so we rang our good friends at DOTS (Dogs on the Streets - please support them if you are an animal lover) - who are going to follow up the concerns with veterinary / ownership checks etc.. We were also joined by a pair of ducks... who cheerfully picked up any leftover crumbs ! At our last stop, it became clear one of our regulars was quite mentally unwell.. This is a fairly common occurrence in our work - and we must behave however is appropriate. .. Some weeks he will engage and have a chat, others he is somewhat abusive and aggressive .... but you can't judge him on that behaviour, we just left a bag and will be back to see him this week (Mike has been keeping an eye on him throughout the week) . We saw +50 people

Daily food drops to people who are suffering financial hardship or vulnerable, are now the norm - we always stay and have are chat... and get regular phone calls just to say hello from people we have helped. There are so many people who are lonely, & all they need is someone to pick.up the phone to. The William Gibbs Community Centre are doing a great job signposting people to us. ❤ Plus Mike has been helping a young couple to stock up their kitchen - a new set of pans was bought for them.... And another young couple are in need of baby items ... PLEASE get in touch if you can help (cot/Moses basket/bath/steriliser etc.. ) Thanks for your support x