The Feast has been running since 17th January 2002. We started by using the Salvation Army Hall in Catford and after two years made the move to King’s Church where there was more space and a better kitchen. In the beginning we would give out flyers to people in need but now word of mouth means that the people who need to know find out very quickly. In fact The Feast is really well known!
A few years ago I was on crutches so I couldn’t cycle to King’s Church building on Catford Hill and whilst on the bus I got chatting to a man who was drinking a can of Tennants but we had never met before. I told him I was getting off near to Kings and without any idea of what I do, he told me that where to go to get a meal on a Wednesday. I asked him if he had ever been and he said no!
So if you have not been - The Feast takes place every Wednesday night between 7-9pm and no two nights are ever the same! There are always new people there. Last Wednesday three new people came, all were rough sleepers.
Here are brief details and what we did:
One man was sleeping in a park between Lewisham and Deptford. I sent a referral to Streetlink.com – this is available for anyone to use. The Thamesreach outreach team will then try to find them and verify that they are rough sleeping, work out the support needs of the person and the best housing option going forward.
The next person is someone I have actually been speaking to for a few weeks because he has been hanging around in Catford. I was able to refer him to the nightshelter in Deptford and he will get shelter and help there.
The third person was slightly more difficult to help and needs help establishing his status to remain in the country before we could help him get housed so we have signposted him to local services that can support him to do this.
These three stories highlight the complexity of housing homeless people – these three outcomes reflect that every individual is different.
Whilst every evening at The Feast is very different, there is the same structure every week and it looks like this:
3pm The cooking team and the set up team arrive to prepare for the evening.
7pm The doors open, vegetable soup is served.
7:30pm Main meal
8pm Short talk
8:20pm Pudding
9pm Close
Each week we remind ourselves of some useful phrases that help make it the best place to be:
‘Everyone can contribute to the Feast’
and
‘Let’s make this the safest place for the weakest person’
Over the last 18 years of running the Jericho Road Project Wednesday remains the best night of my week and the Feast is the time when I feel most alive - in fact it helps me to keep staying alive!