There’s something truly wonderful about enjoying a meal out with family or friends. It’s a nice break from our usual home-cooked dinners, and those occasional treats create lasting memories. Unfortunately, not every family has the opportunity to enjoy a nice meal out for various reasons.
That’s why, on Saturday 29 March 2025, we hosted our Cook Out To Reach Out initiative—to give families in our communities a chance to experience this joy. Food poverty is a growing crisis, and many families are struggling to afford even the most basic necessities. With this in mind, we reached out to local restaurants, cafés and community partners to support our initiative.
In addition to our regular soup kitchen, on this day, we were able to provide extra meals from different restaurants as a special treat for families to enjoy together. While they couldn’t dine at the restaurants themselves, the meals they received—prepared and packaged with love and care—created a special moment for them to share.
This initiative took place at our different HelpCentre locations including, Manchester, Sheffield, Catford, Hackney, Newcastle, Leeds and of course, at our headquarters in Finsbury Park. On that day, we distributed a total of 2,260 meals, reaching and helping 2,100 individuals. This achievement was made possible thank to the support of our community partners! We received contributions from restaurants like Wagamama, Nandos, Tortilla, Malatang, Pizza Express, Paulies Bagels, Barrell Boulangeri, Maci Cakes, Good Soul Food, Franco Manca, Gleams Café, Honest Burgers, KFC and many more.
Although the Cook Out To Reach Out Initiative isn’t a weekly event, we keep our doors open every week at our various Soup Kitchen and Food Bank locations across the UK. We’re committed to providing ongoing support as a positive step towards bridging the gap of food poverty in our communities.
For more information or inquiries, email us at [email protected] or, you can call our 24-hour helpline at 0207 686 6000.
If you or someone you know could benefit from this support, we’d be thrilled to welcome you at any of our locations. Everyone is always greeted with open arms.
