Let's Feed Brum: Birmingham's Soup-er Heroes
- September 28, 2018
Our Edgbaston cafe have chosen ‘Let’s Feed Brum’ as their chosen charity. That means that every time you buy a takeaway coffee from the team in Edgbaston, 10p will be given to these ‘soup-er heroes’. They let us know what they’re up to.
“Homelessness is undoubtedly the hot topic of recent times and in Birmingham especially it’s a problem that is impossible to pass by unnoticed.”
With over 12,000 people homeless in the city, the issues of rough sleeping and hidden homelessness mean that one in 88 people in Birmingham do not have stable accommodation. Passionate about making these statistics a thing of the past and offering support, guidance, and solutions to those in need, Let’s Feed Brum’s dedicated volunteers are working tirelessly to help those in need.
Established in November 2016 to build on six-years’ work by Inspiration Support, the Let’s Feed Brum campaign brings together restaurants and retailers, the corporate community, colleges and universities, supermarkets and retailers, and the city’s residents to tackle homelessness. Offering food, hot drinks and essential supplies to between 50 and 100 homeless people each night, the LFB team is out six days a week, come rain or shine.
Let’s Feed Brum volunteers
Let’s Feed Brum currently serves around 500 hot meals each week, with the support of around 15 food suppliers across the city.
By being able to meet these basic needs and grant access to the vital necessities, Let’s Feed Brum forms and builds relationships with these hard-to-reach individuals. Whether they’ve been forgotten by the system, let down by the traditional methods, or are just not sure where they should turn to, the LFB team is on hand to support these individuals on their journey to getting back on their feet. Not only are volunteers there to offer a listening ear, celebrate milestones and give comfort in hard times, but they also signpost relevant services, even attending meetings and consultations to support those who need a helping hand.
Let’s Feed Brum serves from a central base each evening, but it also has walkabout teams that take supplies to those that, for whatever reasons, can’t make it to base. These teams of people take the provisions on foot across the breadth of the city, meaning that as many people as possible helped.
In order to continue the vital work it’s doing, Let’s Feed Brum needs around £5,000 a year to buy supplies, containers, sleeping bags, and other necessities. The 10p donated from each purchase at BTP will go towards funding these things and will ensure that even more people can be helped each evening. Let’s Feed Brum is also always looking for more hands to help out and would love to have you on board – whether it’s once a month or twice a week, there’s no contribution too small!