A Timeline of Resilience and Compassion: The Evolution of The Soup Kitchen in Hounslow

As we take a journey through time since our inception, we unveil the history of The Soup Kitchen in Hounslow, a movement of hope in the fight against food poverty.

The timeline begins with a humble inception in 2015, illustrated by a group of passionate volunteers gathering together with a drive to do good in our community where the need was felt to be the greatest.

2015 - The Seeds of Compassion:

The journey began with a group of friends from the creative arts scene (Poetical Word) in Hounslow who recognized a lack of activities for children in hospitals in Hounslow. Driven by a shared vision, they established a project called “Xmas Gifts 4 All” (XG4All), a community-driven initiative to ensure that no child who missed out on Christmas at home, would feel like they were left out of love in hospital. In 2015 we crowdfunded £500 to go towards our costs. We produced a video showcasing the project delivery.

2016- Level up:

In 2016 we managed to crowdfund a total of £700 for the project initiative and this year we decided to help older people at Care UK’s Charlotte House. Our XG4All project now incorporated children as well as older people, who we felt also missed out on the community and family vibe of Christmas, and could do with a bit of uplifting and cheering up. We again produced a video showcasing the project delivery.

2017 - A Ray of Light:

In just two years, we had grown significantly, and learned a lot. The dedicated volunteers expanded their efforts, serving meals to the homeless and offering essential support to a growing number of individuals seeking nourishment and hope. This year we partnered with food vendors in Hounslow and began focussing our efforts on the homeless. Having experienced homelessness, we were driven to make an impact. We were able to raise a total of £1300 to go towards the project costs and also produced a delivery video for the day.

2018- Funding from Tesco:

Our work in Hounslow and the links we had created made us a central hub for people to get to know where to access free food and support services. With this in mind, we applied for a grant from Tesco Bags of Help scheme (the little blue tokens), and we were able to come second in that, which gave us £2000 to revamp our new website to include an interactive map that people can get to know where they can get free food from.

2019 - Beyond Meals:

By the end of 2019, we were working exclusively with the homeless and providing meals every day to those in need in Hounslow Central. The soup kitchen's impact extended beyond the provision of meals. Recognizing the importance of empowerment, workshops on financial literacy and time management were introduced. These capacity-building initiatives aimed to equip individuals with essential skills to break free from the cycle of food poverty and create a path towards self-sufficiency.

2020-2021 lockdown:

All the homeless were housed, so with the zeal still raging in our chests, we expanded the service to include anyone facing food poverty across the borough. This is where we were able to recruit an army of volunteer cooks and volunteer couriers to deliver hundreds of meals every week across the span of Hounslow.

2021- A halt to our work:

Having suffered four breaks to his spine in a serious motorbike accident, our founder had to pause the delivery of the work and focus on in-house matters. The soup Kitchen was still functioning throughout this time referring people to crucial support services throughout Hounslow and working with our charity and community partners.

2022- A year of recovery and recruiting:

In light of the last year, and having had this experience of being so well connected within the community, a more longer-term strategy started to emerge. And we began to focus on recruiting for our trustee board.

Reflecting the inclusive nature of our mission, the charity decided to rebrand as The Soup Kitchen. This transformation symbolized a new chapter, encompassing a broader community while maintaining its unwavering commitment to serve anyone facing food poverty.

2023 - A Legacy of Unity:

Having our charity registration number come through on 17th June 2023, The Soup Kitchen remains steadfast in its commitment to nourish hearts and alleviate food poverty in Hounslow.

We receive funding from our local authority to revamp our website and have more of a presence in the borough.