How we help

• Food

  Food is the vital first step in helping our Friends towards a better future. Without The People’s Kitchen many of our Friends would struggle to afford every day essentials, like a hot meal. We provide 40,000 hot meals a year, from our own premises at the Alison Centre in central Newcastle, and from our mobile kitchen which takes to the streets three times a week. Hot food, clean clothes and warm bedding are a lifeline to our most vulnerable visitors, many of whom suffer from mental illness, physical disability, drug and alcohol misuse, or are rough sleepers. Our own kitchen is fuelled through the help and support of others. We rely heavily on food donations, and without the help of both local and regional schools through their Harvest Festival donations, as well as large donators such as Greggs, we would not be able to continue to produce the number of meals that we do. We are also growing our own produce at our allotment on Nun’s Moor in Newcastle. Both volunteers and Friends work together on site to produce a sustainable and nutritional supplement to our food donations.

• Friendship

  At The People’s Kitchen, our Friends appreciate the genuine interest our volunteers show in them. Problems of loneliness and isolation are commonplace amongst our Friends, and by operating in the evenings and at weekends we are offer a vital safety net for users who experience difficulties when other services are closed. We support a diverse group of people, ranging in age from 18 to their late 70s, many of whom have complex needs including mental health and addiction issues, which affect their ability to maintain independent lifestyles. Some of our volunteers are also trained specifically to listen and recognise areas where our Friends may need help and support, as well as having an understanding of body language, awareness of mental health issues, and drug and alcohol education. We also offer a range of social activities to contribute to our Friends’ emotional and physical wellbeing. These include our allotment project, which provides the opportunity to get involved and work with our volunteers; our rambling club, which helps keep our Friends challenged and fit by offering regular trips to Northumberland and Yorkshire; and our pamper evenings, which provide Friends with haircuts and personal grooming.

• Futures

  Helping our Friends move towards independent living is a vital aspect of the work of The People’s Kitchen. Our ‘Your Futures’ programme aims to provide that support. We are committed to helping people take positive action to change their situation, and help them to access a number of professional services that will help them progress to independent living. Our ‘Your Future‘ programme helps our Friends to move towards independent living, by providing access to essential services from our trusted base at the Alison Centre. We work with professional partners to provide joined-up support to people who use our services. These include the Adults Facing Chronic Exclusion (ACE) team, Crisis Skylight, the Joseph Cowan Health Centre, and a legal firm who visits the Kitchen on a monthly basis to provide Friends with legal advice.