Members of Rhenus Logistics’ Basildon team are raising a spoon in volunteering to help the feed homeless people at Whitechapel Mission in London.
Martin Cleary, regional director south, pictured, and Trevor Cridland, Basildon sales manager, will undertake the Breakfast Challenge at the east London based charity on 22 December, where they will prepare and cook breakfast for as many as 300 people. Starting at 6am, Trevor and Martin will prepare and cook bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns and toast with their wider team of volunteers, as well as helping to make a whopping 400 cups of tea and 600 cups of coffee throughout the morning.
The Whitechapel Mission is dedicated to providing a lifeline to men and women caught in the cycle of poverty. Receiving no public funds for its work, the charity relies on donations and the efforts of its volunteers to stay open.
“Every day in the UK, people on the streets go hungry,” says Martin. “We’re delighted to help out on the breakfast shift to feed people in desperate need of a good meal who are down on their luck. It’s my second year of volunteering in the Whitechapel kitchen – I hope to come back for many years to come to lend a hand to those who really need it at Christmas.”
Charity Homeless Link recently reported that homelessness across all ages in the UK is rising, attributing this increase to financial problems due to benefit reductions. This has increased by six times in a year, rising from 1.7% of cases in 2013 to 10% in 2014.
To find out more or to make a donation to the Whitechapel Mission, please visit https://www.whitechapel.org.uk.