Cook A Meal And Share It With People Sleeping Rough
Cook a big batch together, then go out and hand it to people who haven't had a hot meal today.
- Cost
- Under £20pp
- Time
- Half-day
- People
- Small Group (3-6), Large Group (7+)
- Where
- Home, Street / Local Business
- Bring
- Ingredients and containers, split between you
Why this matters
People sleeping rough often have no way to cook and limited access to hot food outside of fixed service hours, which are frequently in the middle of the day. A hot meal in the evening or on a weekend fills a real gap. Doing it as a group makes the cost trivial per person and makes the delivery far less daunting than going alone.
How to do it
Cook a large batch of something warm, filling and easy to eat with one hand. Chilli, stew, pasta, curry, soup with bread. Portion it into containers and take it out.
Before you go, do this bit of research - it matters: - Check what local services already run and when. If a soup kitchen serves that street at seven, going at half six duplicates it while other nights go uncovered. Ask an outreach team where the gaps actually are. - Some organisations would much rather you brought food to them to distribute. Ask.
Practical points: - Hot food needs to actually be hot. Insulated containers or a cool box work for keeping heat in. - Include something to drink, and cutlery and napkins. - Vegetarian is the safest default given allergies, religious restrictions and unknown dietary needs. Label what's in it. - Add extras: socks, hand warmers in winter, bottled water in summer.
How to approach people: - Ask, don't assume. "Would you like some food?" and accept no gracefully. - Make eye contact and treat it as a normal exchange between people. Being ignored is what people report as hardest. - Rule of thumb: Don't photograph anyone, don't post about it, don't ask questions about their situation. - Go in twos or threes, not a large group. A crowd is intimidating. - Don't linger unless they clearly want to talk - and if they do, that conversation may be worth more than the meal.