20 December 2023
St Andrew’s Church in Leytonstone began hosting the SoulFood Community Meal in partnership with Leytonstone Mutual Aid in 2022.
During the last year the SoulFood Community Meal has evolved and is now run by the community, for the community. Volunteers prepare and serve a free meal for all in a warm, friendly, safe space.
The meal provides a space for people of all faiths, beliefs and ages to get to know their neighbours and to feel a sense of belonging in the local community. Susan Toole, Chair of local Leytonstone Mutual Aid group said:
We joined with St Andrews to provide a hot three-course meal for our local community. The church provides the venue, the council supports us with funding, and our volunteers do the rest! We buy, prepare and serve the food. The local Women’s Institute provide some splendid puddings too! Everyone, including our volunteers, eats the meal together. We have about 50 people each week attending to enjoy the food, warmth and good company. Some great friendships have been made and we’ve learnt lots of new skills - cooking, planning menus and teamwork. It has been fantastic to see our community coming together to do something useful and that’s so enjoyable, too! SoulFood is for the people, by the people, with the people. We are more than a project – we are the Soul Food Community.
Alongside Soulfood, St Andrew’s is open each week as ‘Community Living Room’ space. Every Monday morning the church provides free hot drinks, free WiFi with a hot desking area and children’s play area for those in the local community to use.
In September 2023, Soul Food was recognised at the Waltham Forest Faith and Belief awards, winning the award for Promoting Inclusion and Community Cohesion.
At the same awards ceremony, another of our churches in Waltham Forest deanery - Cornerstone Church, Leyton - won the Cost Of Living Award for setting up The Cornerstone Baby Bank. A baby bank is like a foodbank but provides pre-loved baby goods donated by the local community to families in need.
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