The more successful we are, the more helping hands we should give to those around us.
None of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouths, we’ve all took risks, sacrificed a lot and grafted hard to get where we are, but we recognise that life isn’t a level playing field for everyone.
Since we opened our restaurant, we’ve been able to donate 5,000+ meals to those in need. If we achieve nothing else this will be the stat I’m most proud of and ashamed of at the same time. I’d love it if it didn’t need to happen but I don’t see it improving… only getting worse. We delivered meals to homeless families in lockdown that had 27 adults & 37 kids under 1 roof with nothing but a microwave between them. People nearly in tears getting a hot meal.
It’s very demoralising but building up consistent, regular & reliable support networks will deliver real change for the future. Biggup to all the charities grafting hard everyday to help feed, house and support the mental wellbeing of people that truly need it – below is helping shine a light on some of the Manchester organisations we’ve been able to work with:
Not Just Soup – providing free hot meals to Manchester’s homeless people regularly throughout the day
Shared Health Foundation – The number of homeless families in Greater MCR has risen by 1000%, that’s nearly 3,000 kids in temporary accommodation – their goal is to reduce the impact poverty has on health.
Foodinate and The Mustard Tree – “Eat Meal, Give Meal” – every time a certain dish is bought off the menu, we’ll donate a meal to the Mustard Tree, who are just round the corner from our kitchen, they provide help and support to people trapped in poverty and homelessness.
Wood Street Mission – we help children and families living in Manchester and Salford by fundraising and collecting good quality children’s and young adult clothing, toys, bedding, baby equipment and new toys.
Eat Well Mcr – The Eat Well MCR collective is made up of hospitality professionals and volunteers from all sectors. Their non-profit work is funded by an online marketplace where you can buy locally made produce and meal kits from chefs and restaurants. The goal is to prepare meals for those finding themselves in challenging circumstances.
Manchester Cares – The charity aims to bring the older generation together with a network of younger people to reduce the gaps across social, generational, digital, cultural and attitudinal divides. Even if it’s just hanging out in a chippy, playing board games whilst listening to unreleased rap demo tapes from the mid 90s – it all helps.
EDUCATION
Trafford College – The Career Ready programme is designed to help young students aged 16-18 prepare for the world of work, so we provide a mentor for 12 months to help guide them this process.
Manchester College – provide college students aged between 16-18 studying Hospitality and Catering with placement opportunities through hands on experience prepping food, cooking & serving and as a kitchen porter.
Manchester Hip-Hop Archives – We volunteer as part of a steering group to help provide support documenting youth culture in Manchester since the late 70s – specifically creating an online searchable database of flyers/posters from local and international artists who have performed in Manchester.