A new Lincoln initiative is serving up three-course meals for the homeless, but the volunteers say that it is about more than just food.
The new “atHome” scheme, organised by volunteers from Saint Swithin’s Community Centre on Croft Street, has been set up with the aim of making their guests feel like they are at home.
Marcus Arnold, currently homeless, said the hardest thing about life on the streets is not having a support network and people around you.
He said: “If you come in here, then you feel like a human being. Sometimes you can feel like an animal, sometimes you can feel a bit lost but you can come here and you’re found.
“Being homeless, you don’t really starve. The hardest thing being homeless is feeling lost and hurting. They are the two hardest factors in life.
“This is how deranged I was; I walked out with basically just clothes – thinner than what I am wearing now – but I have survived it, and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
Volunteers prepare and donate the home cooked main course, while other food and drink is donated from local businesses including Tesco on Wragby Road, Bishop Grosseteste University, Rising Café, Stokes High Bridge Café, and the Mint Lane Cafe.
It’s also supported by the Social Justice Fund.
The three-course meal is served around communal tables, as it would be in a family home, and each table is hosted by at least one volunteer.
On launch night, June 4, 47 guests were served a hot three course meal and 27 volunteers from three churches helped across the day. Guests then had the option to stay for a short service.
atHome will run at St Swithin’s Community Centre every Monday at 6.45pm until July 23 2018, and it will then begin again in September.
For more information about atHome, including details about volunteering and donating, contact [email protected].
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