Help the Hungry: Volunteering offers chance to rebuild for former homeless and covid-impacted workers

Our campaign to support vulnerable people with food has been a source of strength for our volunteers, Abbianca Makoni reports

Naomi Clucas (right) in the kitchen and food preparation area at Scottish House (NIGEL HOWARD �)

Recovering alcoholics, formerly homeless people and those who lost work to the pandemic are among the team helping deliver 1,000 meals a day to vulnerable people through our Christmas appeal.

Adrian*, a full time volunteer, has turned his hand to a life of early mornings and kitchen clean downs to help support those in need.

The 38-year-old ‘kitchen general’ slept in the streets for more than a year before joining the 450 volunteers at With Compassion, one of The Independent’s charity partners working to deliver the Help the Hungry campaign.

“I had been self-medicating with weed and booze for more than 20 years”, he said. “I knew I would be on the streets at some point but I’m grateful I got out of it and hopefully dodge it for another decade.

“I found it hard because a lot of the hostels or spaces I was temporarily staying in were zero alcohol and zero drugs and I would get kicked out after a few weeks - it was quite difficult.”

Adrian now works to help turn food supplied by our appeal partner The Felix Project, which takes high quality surplus that would otherwise be wasted, and turn it into meals to be distributed across the UK by our state-of-the-art trucks.

But in a dark moment in 2019, when he was forced to move to a hostel in the midlands, he tried to take his own life - an attempt that resulted in him being sectioned under the mental health act.

“Life was hard at that point. I was suffering from paranoia and depression and once I had to move to Manchester I thought my life was over and I wouldn’t be able to rebuild it again.

After moving back to London and making another attempt on his own life, he tried to engage with the support he knew he needed.”I tried a new approach and actually asked for help.”

He said his life changed following the help of With Compassion, which he describes as the “family” that gave him encouragement when his support systems “vanished during lockdown.”

He added: “What is being done with the campaign and ‘With Compassion’ is going to help people and I’m happy to be part of it.”

Naomi Clucas, a mother of five who also volunteers with the charity, saw her catering business fall quiet at the start of the pandemic.

“All the events that I had booked for the year ended up getting cancelled”, she said. “It was hard because I had just started to get a big name for myself when the pandemic hit.”

However Ms Clucas, the founder of ‘Simply scrumptious’ catering, now gives up her time to work as an onsite coordinator for With Compassion - managing the teams delivering food and support to communities across the capital.

“I’m just so touched by the amount of people who were willing to help - from those with mental health issues who’ve been positively impacted by the work we do here, to those who were previously homeless and vulnerable, to even barristers and full-time employees who often come and help when they can”.

Ms Clucas who has now secured “new work” for her business through her volunteering, added: “Having The Independent on board is just amazing - what you guys are doing is just wonderful. You’re making people more aware of what needs to be done so thank you for everything you’re doing.”

*Adrian spoke under a pseudonym to protect the interviewee’s privacy

You can contact the Samaritans by calling them for free from any phone for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch.

This November and December we will be delivering food directly to 1,000 people a day through our partner With Compassion. Please donate here to help us do all we can to ensure no one goes hungry this Christmas.