Hot meals for homeless people
St Anne’s Centre in the heart of Kemptown, Brighton, opens its doors to everyone, every weekday morning (except for Bank Holidays and the occasional Wednesday closure for cleaning). We provide breakfast, homemade lunch and other services for those in need.
On the menu at St Anne’s…
At 9.30am, we open to start serving tea, coffee and cereal for up to 70 people. Many of our clients have been outside all night or in cold accommodation so we soon have plenty of people in the Centre.
Clients come in throughout the morning – and after their first visit, all we ask for is their first name and whether they want a ticket for lunch.
Breakfast @ St Anne’s
Between 10am and 11am, we serve hot toast and spreads (sometimes with boiled eggs, cheese, bacon or ham, which are always popular).
Between 11am and noon, self-service tea, coffee and biscuits are available.
We have more than 30 volunteers a week (around six each day), who commit their time so we are able to offer good quality, freshly cooked food. The kitchen is run to a high standard of hygiene by our two Catering Managers, and our volunteers are brilliant at following the rules.
Lunch @ St Anne’s
Lunch is served on the dot of noon. We have three courses, always freshly prepared on site – soup and rolls, a hot main course and either a dessert or fruit and biscuits. We believe that food is an important way of making people feel that they matter.
Clients are encouraged to pay 50p for lunch, but if they have no money we will give them a ticket, or they can owe us until they get paid.
Once they have finished lunch, the clients leave the Centre, hopefully refreshed and full. Some stay to help clear up, sweeping and mopping the hall. By 1pm the Centre is an empty, clean church hall once again.
Additional services on offer
The Centre Manager spends plenty of time talking with clients and signposting them to other services if this is what they want. Some people may want a wash and a shave and we have supplies of toiletries for them, plus socks and underwear so they can feel fresh.
We regularly have nurses in the Centre and sometimes a doctor. Once a month, Haircuts4Homeless come in to provide haircuts, and we have a regular mobile laundry service provided by Off the Fence. Clients can use our phone for accessing benefits and making appointments. The Centre also operates as a ‘poste restante’ for people who have no fixed address (NFA).
