Ealing Soup Kitchen serves up hot meals and fellowship

The charity started serving hot meals on the weekend at St John’s church on Mattock Lane in 1973 and has developed into providing support and community services as well.

‘A hot meal and fellowship’ is how the west London soup kitchen describes itself – and it couldn’t be a more apt description.

Ealing Soup Kitchen’s only paid employee is Andrew Mcleay – a 34-year-old Australian who previously worked for the NHS in mental health.

Andrew had his own experience with rough sleeping when he was left without a place to sleep one night in Ealing.

“It was just bad timing. I had money and lots of stuff but I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t know the area,” he said.

“I thought it would be easy to get a job, easy to get a place.

“I was on a sofa with a family and their son came home from Russia. He was going to be sleeping on that sofa so I had to leave.

“I was too prideful to say I had nowhere to stay, so I left and figured I would be able to find somewhere else for the night.

“I wondered for hours and hours and ended up sleeping in the snow behind a bin on Hanger Lane by the gyratory.”

Luckily Andrew found housing the next day but he knew others were not in such a fortunate position.

As the only full-time employee of Ealing Soup Kitchen, Andrew co-ordinates the drop-ins as well as mixing with the clients who come for food, a chat with friends, a game of cards, or maybe just the chance to sit and read a paper.

However, Andrew isn’t the only person who wants to help after spending time on the street.

He said: “A volunteer might pull out and a client will step up and say ‘I really want to help’ and they end becoming a full-time volunteer.

“It’s really sweet to see people who are disadvantaged helping one another when they don’t have to do it.”

The soup kitchen also raises awareness as to how people end up sleeping rough and reliant on their services in the first place.

Andrew said while there is alcohol and drug use, in his opinion 95% of those living on the streets are there due to the loss of a relationship – whether it’s parents not accepting their child’s sexuality, a bereavement or an abusive partner.

“You might meet someone on the streets and think they’re there because of drink or drugs, but it’s actually because of social isolation and the loss of a relationship,” he said.

Helping clients take the next step in their life is one of the most important parts of the soup kitchen’s mission.

They provide assistance with CVs, advocacy to the council on behalf of clients and even a postal address for those with no fixed address to have mail sent to.

And Andrew enjoys nothing more than seeing a success story from those he has helped.

He said: “The best feeling is going around Ealing and bumping into a former client and seeing them shopping or paying bills.

“These are things that we take for granted. We think ‘who wants to pay a bill?’ but there’s actually a sense of normalcy to that.

“Before that stage everything would have been free, and I think things tend to lose their value when they’re free.

“And then they are able to give back. We’ve had people get jobs and donate to us to say thank you for all the meals and all the help.”

Like all charities, the soup kitchen is reliant on donations – from sleeping bags to socks, underpants to combs, home-baked cakes to jeans.

Money is also welcome as the cooks at the Ealing Soup Kitchen can use it to plan and provide meals like spaghetti bolognese, burgers, or sometimes even soup.

Andrew stressed the importance of not turning down donations, regardless of their perceived usefulness, because items that are not appreciated by the everyday homeowner can be invaluable to the soup kitchen and those it helps.

Most important to Andrew though is the community which forms around the drop-ins and soup kitchens.

He said: “We do a lot of things here but I think the most important part is the sense of community. It keeps people feeling safe in a place like this. They can play games or just have a chat-chit alongside a hot meal.

“You see some people who you wouldn’t expect to become friends sitting next to each other, and after a while you realise they are inseparable.

“People come here for help and because they want to see their friends.”

For more information on the Ealing Soup Kitchen go to www.ealingsoupkitchen.org or @EalingSoupKitchen on Facebook or @EalingSoup on Twitter.