Soul Kitchen is a voluntary charity that provides support with dignity to those who are marginalised due to homelessness and struggling with economic disadvantage in Cheshire West & Chester (CWAC).
We cook food, run activities and offer a listening ear to find out what people need to move forward with their lives. Based in the city of Chester, we work with partners across Cheshire to help people access a range of services such as housing, mental health, addiction recovery, financial support and employment. At the height of the pandemic, we provided meals every day for over 200 people.
We offer an open drop-in provision every Saturday evening at Campbell Community Hall in Boughton (Chester), where we provide hot food and drinks, clothing, shower facilities and most importantly, support and conversation. We run 3 weekly cookery sessions called ‘Soul in a Bowl’. These sessions are all about building self-esteem, learning budgeting skills, having fun and enjoying a communal meal in a safe and supportive environment, whilst working towards obtaining the skills and self-confidence to look for employment and to become self-sufficient in the kitchen.
Soul Kitchen aims to:
· enable people to move away from life on the streets.
· build relationships and trust through sharing meals in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment.