At this week’s full council meeting, I was delighted to announce that this year’s civic charity will be The Feed which works to help the homeless in Norwich get “off the street [and] into the kitchen”. I and the new Sheriff look forward to fundraising for this very worthy social enterprise.
Please see my speech below about why they were selected…
“I am sure that everyone in this chamber has been struck by the plight of the growing number of homeless in cities up and down the country and sadly Norwich is no exception. I am therefore delighted to announce that this year’s civic charity will be The Feed which works with the homeless in Norwich.
“The Feed is a charity with the aim to get people ‘Off the street and into the kitchen’. They work with people who have been homeless, have mental health problems and other significant barriers to employment and housing. They provide training and support and use food as a way to get people involved and interested. This year they will be opening a sandwich shop and new training academy right in the heart of the city to enable them to increase the amount of people they can train and support.
“The Feed was set up four years ago and was a spin off from Norwich Leap which was in itself a pioneering project set up by the city council acknowledging that one of the best ways to help people maintain a tenancy is to help remove the barriers to getting a job. In the last year The Feed has got 33 people work ready and eleven people into paid employment. The new training academy will enable The Feed to grow to train over 100 people a year and being the civic charity will help them to raise the funds to secure and fit out the new premises. The new premises will also be used to provide direct support to vulnerable people who need a meal and some advice on evenings and weekends.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to make a lasting positive impact on the livelihoods of some of the most vulnerable in our society and I look forward to helping them realise their goals over the coming 12 months.”