For a lot of people, the value of a soup kitchen exceeds the food it provides – most try to create a warm, welcoming environment where people can connect with others in the community. And the meaning of a soup kitchen has evolved a fair bit since they emerged in the 19th century, with some also offering access to mental health support, clothes or showers, and housing advice.
Can anyone go to a soup kitchen?
Soup kitchens are, for the most part, open to anyone who needs them. Volunteers there serve people from all walks of life – whether you’re facing homelessness, are just struggling to put food on the table during a particularly difficult month or are feeling isolated. They often function slightly differently from food banks, which usually require a referral, but there are exceptions to both.
This means there’s one less barrier for people trying to get the short-term help they need – the stigma alone around using food banks has been known to deter people from trying to get referred.
How to volunteer at a soup kitchen
Getting involved to volunteer at a soup kitchen is relatively straightforward, and starts with finding a soup kitchen near you. Volunteers don’t necessarily need to be skilled chefs, a lot of kitchens will welcome anyone with enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard. You could be chopping vegetables one day, serving meals the next, or working behind the scenes sorting food donations.
Plenty of local homelessness charities and organisations run soup kitchens, so checking a local community Facebook group or looking elsewhere online should point you in the right direction. FoodCycle, which operates dozens of soup kitchens across England and Wales, has an interactive map you can use to either find somewhere that might need volunteers or find a soup kitchen you can use yourself.
Given the rising number of people who are struggling month to month, you’re unfortunately unlikely to struggle to find somewhere to volunteer. If you live in London, for instance, you might consider organisations like The Connection at St. Martins or Brixton Soup Kitchen. Or, in Manchester, Soup N Smiles is a mobile soup kitchen based in Piccadilly Gardens. Wherever you are, there will be a local organisation in need of your time. Homelessness charity Emmaus operates soup kitchens across the UK.
If you’re in a rural area, you might find that local churches or community centres are more likely to host soup kitchens. Don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth and ask around neighbours and friends.
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Once you’ve identified one near you, reach out to them. Many have websites with specific volunteer information, but others might be best reached via phone call or email. Be prepared to discuss your availability, any relevant skills and what you want to contribute – and don’t assume that every soup kitchen will need your help.
They might have already hit their quota thanks to the higher number of people looking to volunteer around Christmas, or you might not fit the type of volunteer they need for a specific role – the priority is ultimately to help as many people as possible, rather than creating as many volunteering positions as possible. Many kitchens will want you to commit to volunteering on more than a one-off occasion, or even to volunteer at a different time of year instead.
Some kitchens may have specific volunteer roles, like food prep, serving or clean-up, while others might be more flexible and ask you to jump in where help is needed most.
Why volunteer at a soup kitchen
Volunteering at a soup kitchen can have a powerful impact not only on the people who use them but also on the volunteers themselves. You might work on meal prep, serving, or just providing a friendly face for those who might be struggling.
The immediate help of a warm meal won’t lift a person out of poverty or homelessness, but it will help keep them healthy and make their day that bit easier. The chance to socialise, and the sense of safety provided by soup kitchens, gives people in difficult situations a bit of hope and often connects them with other organisations that can help them even more.
Volunteers often find it a really rewarding experience. As well as helping make someone’s day a little brighter, it gives you a chance to connect with new people and benefit from that sense of community yourself.
What it’s like to volunteer at a soup kitchen
As a volunteer, your experience will depend on the soup kitchen you’re working with, but it’s generally a hands-on role. You might start by chopping vegetables, plating up meals or helping direct people as they come through the door.
Mark, a volunteer for FoodCycle in Hackney, has “always loved cooking” and started helping the organisation out when he retired.
His first day volunteering was “a wonderful experience”, he said. “I turned up and we went and collected the food from the supermarket over the road. There really wasn’t a great deal of food that week – a lot of potatoes.
“We took it back to the kitchen and I decided to just get stuck in and put myself forward to cook a vegetarian cottage pie. It was quite a challenge with such a small oven and having to cook for so many people, but I did it and everyone was just so lovely, the volunteers, the guests, just so welcoming and friendly.
“It really hit home the importance of what I was doing and was obvious how much of a difference these meals make to people.
“It really is such a wonderful atmosphere. You get to meet all types of people, both the guests and volunteers. I’ve become really good friends with some of my fellow volunteers.
“I like the fun and the challenge of coming up with a meal and cooking for 30-40 guests. I love the creativity that happens when different people come together. For example, one week we cooked a simple tomato pasta for the main course, due to what we had in our delivery, but we called it spaghetti pomodoro just to make sure that it still felt like a special and exciting meal.”
At the organisation’s Woolwich hub, Sandra has been volunteering since early 2023 to “give back something to the community”.
“I know what it’s like to not have anything to eat, so for me I wanted to give something back, it’s my way of saying thank you,” she said.
“There wasn’t anything like this at the time for me to go to, so it’s nice that people can come here now and have something to eat and also make friends as well.
“In this day and age, with the cost-of-living crisis it’s nice for people to know that they don’t have to go hungry or be alone. A lot of the people sit at home on their own all day so to come here and have some company is nice.
“I would say one of the main reasons people eat here is the companionship, it’s nice and friendly and a lot of them get on. I know that I’ve met a few friends that come here as well.”
Volunteering at a soup kitchen is one of the most direct ways to make a difference in your community. So, if you’ve ever thought about getting involved, now might be the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and make a difference.
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