The People's Kitchen Joins Forces with NEOffers on "Feed a Friend For a Fiver" Fundraiser

After what has been a tough year for all, with not only the back-end of the covid pandemic and cost of living crisis, The People’s Kitchen and NEOffers have joined forces to supply a warm meal and some festive joy to those in real need with their 2022 ‘Feed a Friend For a Fiver’ Christmas campaign.

The 'Feed a Friend for a Fiver' campaign means people can donate just £5 to provide a three-course Christmas Day meal to someone less fortunate. Multiple donations can be made and there is also the option to select a monthly donation to help the charity all year round.

Maggie Pavlou, a trustee of The People’s Kitchen, said: “’Feed A Friend For A Fiver’ campaign is fabulous for us. If someone can donate £5, that will allow us to provide a hot, really tasty, 3-course Christmas dinner for one of our friends on Christmas Day.”

At The People's Kitchen, demand has risen astronomically since the pandemic and cost of living crisis. The kitchen, ran entirely by unpaid volunteers, is now serving more than double the number of meals every day. On an average evening, over 250 meals are being served to people in the North East who need support. Clothes, toiletries, bedding, and household essentials are also provided.

Maggie added: “Our friends rely on us so when they get here, we can provide them with some food, somewhere warm, a bit of a sanctuary and they can have a rest for a few hours.”

Those familiar with The People’s Kitchen will know they have conducted an annual homeless campaign for many years. In 2020, The People's Kitchen was forced to run a Christmas delivery service due to the Covid-19 restrictions. This year, they are once again able to open their doors - meaning those in need of a Christmas Day meal can enjoy it in a warm and friendly environment.

Maggie continued: “This Winter’s not looking too great. Everybody is stretched. So, people we tend to rely on to donate to us, those donations are still coming through and being really kind, but they then don’t have enough to spare for themselves, so it’s just harder for everybody to be generous to others when they are struggling themselves. That’s why we are so grateful for this campaign.”

With homelessness and mental health issues significantly increasing since the start of the pandemic and cost-of-living-crisis, The People’s Kitchen believer it is more important than ever for communities to come together as one. Should the charity raise more than needed for the Christmas Day campaign, the money will be spent on providing service users with warm clothes and warm food over the winter period.

Find out how to donate to the ‘Feed a Friend For a Fiver” campaign here and about volunteering opportunities with The People’s Kitchen here.