Because of you, on an average soup kitchen night this September, about 73 people got a hot meal and 79 food parcels went home. Over 1,200kg of food was rescued from going to waste and shared. Thank you.
653 hot meals served. 710 food parcels given out. 1,226kg of food rescued from waste. 74 volunteer turnouts. 9 soup kitchen nights.
The night the lights came on
Thursday 17 September. Only four volunteers had signed up, and there was so much food that it didn't all fit out. It looked like it could be a hard night.
Then two more sisters came down to help, and it worked out. The food had been sorted beforehand, so the team started a little faster. When the darkness came, the lights were charged and ready, and the tents lit up the road so everyone could see what was on offer. More people than in recent weeks stood in the queue. By the end, 80 hot meals and 85 food parcels had gone out.
“The lights were all charged up so as the darkness hit we were a beacon of light in the road.” (A team leader, Thu 17 Sept)
A word from Stefan
Stefan founded AR Projects. This is how he saw September.
“September was busy. We made a lot of changes, and most of our systems are now digital, so it's easy to track all of our impact and easier for us to keep in touch with you. September is always a hard time, because it's when the weather starts getting colder and more people come to us in need. People have to switch their gas on for the heating, and that has a dramatic effect on the people who come to our soup kitchens. The few extra pounds they would have spent on bread and milk now go on electricity and gas to keep their homes warm. The team did an amazing job. With all the changes in September, they adapted quickly, saw the benefits straight away, and helped us reach the next step, InshaAllah. Sometimes I don't stop to look at the impact, because we're so busy trying to do as much as we can. But the impact of AR reaches far wider than a hot meal or a bag of food. We also run events where women have a safe space to come, whether to enjoy themselves, learn a new skill or worship Allah. It's all part of the wider goal: to support all types of people, from every background, across Croydon.” (Stefan, founder of AR Projects)
Soup kitchens: the people who gave
Your support meant over 650 hot meals and 710 food parcels were given out across nine nights this month, with guests lining up under the gazebo as the evenings grew darker.
Most of the food was rescued surplus from Felix / Critical Support and Greggs. The rest came from neighbours. The naan shop on Whitehorse Road sends fresh naan for Thursdays. The local shop on Whitehorse Road gives us fizzy drinks, packs at a time. A sister and her son go down to Lidl, buy food and drop it off on a Tuesday. And one of our own guests donates a lot too, because he wants to give back to the community.
“Their commitment and effort to the soup kitchen has been really appreciated especially as they are consistent week in week out.” (A team leader, Thu 3 Sept)
Thank you to everyone who gave
Every one of these was written down by a team leader on the night.
- Food rescue: Felix / Critical Support and Greggs, 1,226kg of surplus food over 10 collections
- Tue 1 Sept: Three youngsters came down to help us out; a lady donated female products
- Thu 3 Sept: Someone donated six crates of chocolate; another volunteer that came to drop some additional bread off stayed to help; the kids stepped in again, as they do week in, week out
- Tue 8 Sept: A brother from a shop dropped off some surplus; a sister that comes every other soup kitchen dropped off some surplus
- Thu 10 Sept: Three new volunteers joined; the naan shop on Whitehorse Road donated fresh naan; a sister donated bread and fruit she collected from Sainsbury’s
- Tue 15 Sept: A sister who regularly donates every other week donated some groceries. She comes with her son, and they buy the food at Lidl
- Thu 17 Sept: Two more sisters came down and helped out
- Tue 22 Sept: An aunty donated books, card games and an electric rice cooker; the local shop on Whitehorse Road donated packs of drinks; a brother from the community donated an entire suitcase of clothes; two of our old volunteers returned to help
- Thu 24 Sept: A sister brought her sister with her to help out
- Tue 29 Sept: The local shop on Whitehorse Road gave three packs of drinks and a basket of fizzy drinks; a sister donated bread
- All month: One of our own guests donated regularly, to give back to the community
How the food bank works
Our food bank gives emergency food parcels to households in real hardship. It works by application: you fill in a short form and add proof of benefits, a referral letter, or any proof that you're in a financially difficult situation. Once you're approved, you collect your parcel from our hub on a Tuesday or Thursday, between 11am and 1pm.
Mariam now manages the food bank. The team packs every parcel to order, using rescued surplus, and scans every item in and out, so nothing goes to waste. Most parcels in September went out at the soup kitchens, and anyone who needs ongoing help is pointed to our Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Need help? Apply for a food parcel
Our volunteers turned out 74 times in one month
In September, volunteers turned out 74 times across nine soup kitchen nights. Between them they helped serve 653 hot meals and hand out 710 food parcels. Five new people applied to join, and two old volunteers came back.
That's only the part you see. Behind it are 10 van runs to collect 1,226kg of rescued food, crates carried and sorted, tents put up as the evenings got darker, and a team that set up and ran Bloom in Business for 26 guests. Young helpers stepped in on the busiest nights.
“The kids also stepped in to do help.” (A team leader, Thu 3 Sept)
Bloom in Business raised £1,112 for the soup kitchens
On Sunday 13 September, Amy ran Bloom in Business at Purley masjid, and it was a real success. Twenty six tickets were sold for an afternoon of brunch, small business stalls, a guest speaker and business coaching with Shaianne.
The day brought in £1,640. After costs, £1,112 went straight into support for the soup kitchens and the food bank. Thank you, Amy, and thank you to every stallholder, speaker and guest who came.
“Amy really does pull out all the stops” (Feedback after the event)
One system now runs all of AR
This year we built our own system, and it now runs the soup kitchens, the food bank and our events. At the soup kitchens, guests tap a key fob instead of giving their name, and every night is logged with its numbers, the team leader's report and photos. At the food bank, every parcel is booked, packed and recorded, and stock is scanned in and out by barcode.
Events are planned in the same place, from the checklist and the stallholders to the money. Volunteers carry a pass on their phone, team leaders have their own hub for updates and tasks, and the team can ask our AI assistant how anything works. It means less paperwork and more of the team's time with people. This report was built from it.
“It's letting us see our impact. It's letting us be able to show you your impact in a neater, tidier, less chaotic way.” (Stefan, founder of AR Projects)
What is next, and how you can help
As the nights draw in, company teams are lined up to volunteer from October, and we're arranging school food donations. Thursday nights (the women's soup kitchen) still need extra hands.
We've also rebuilt our website. Everything we do is there, and it's the easiest way to donate, volunteer or ask for help: arprojects.org.
Thank you for your time and your money. Every meal this month happened because of you. Alhamdulillah. JazakAllah.