We are a registered United Kingdom and United States charity funded by personal and corporate donations, trusts, grants and the American International Church.

Established in 1986, The Soup Kitchen is a resource for the homeless, elderly, lonely and vulnerable in London. We provide free meals, clothing, toiletries and a sense of belonging to over 150 of our friends each day. Additionally, we recently launched Europe’s first on-site mental health drop-in centre within a soup kitchen to address our guests’ mental health needs. With the help of hundreds of volunteers each year, we provide a nutritious meal in a safe and warm environment that welcomes everyone.

We want a connection with our guests, which may not be available to them in any other healthy way. We want our homeless and vulnerable friends to feel good, not only because they are full but because of the smiles and care they have received while they’ve been with us. We serve our guests in a dignified manner, with compassion so they want to return.

Eligibility:

• Age 18 or over
• Contactable by email or phone
• Current DBS Certificate
• Willingness to comply with all rules, regulations & policies

Clothing:

• Health and Safety requires that all volunteers wear hairnets, aprons, and gloves
• Volunteers must wear closed-toe shoes with nonslip soles
• Volunteers must wear full-length trousers

Reliability & Punctuality:

• It is critical that volunteers arrive at their scheduled time. If a volunteer is late or needs to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible. If we fall below the minimum number of volunteers, we are unable to open. We cannot allow that to happen, because, for many of our guests, it will be the only meal of their day.

Duty of Care

• All volunteers, in accordance with normal practice, will observe all current relevant legislation and our policies relating to Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities, and Vulnerable Adults. Volunteers will be given appropriate instructions before work and supervised during their time.
• The Soup Kitchen will use volunteers’ personal data solely for the purpose of their volunteer work and will retain data for no longer than necessary. Personal data will be processed in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act of 2018.