Hanging up my Apron...

In her fabulous book, The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Fix it, Dr Keetie Roelen writes of how, ‘poverty isn’t a problem ‘out there’, in someone else’s world. It’s a crisis within our own societies and communities’. A crisis which involves action, a response to the injustice that it is staring us in the face.

For the last 11 and half years my husband Richard and I, along with many incredible, faithful volunteers, have led and been involved in Soul Food meals that have taken place over this city. In this time, we have established 12 meals in the centre of Edinburgh. Seven of which still operate as Soul Food, three that operate independently, and two that were in operation during and recovering from the Lockdown that Covid brought. We also partner with churches in Livingston and their Soul Food meal continues to go from strength to strength. And there is a Soul Food meal, run by a church on Bristol’s Gloucester Road, that is offering incredible, thoughtful care to those experiencing homelessness in their city. A lot of tables, a lot of meals and a lot of people – an absolute privilege and a tiny way that Soul Food – with your support – has been able to engage in the significant challenges of poverty that so many people are experiencing.

Many of those who come along to Soul Food meals do not have the funds required to ensure that they are able to eat three meals a day. Many do not have cooking facilities due to their having to sleep rough or being based in B&B’s that do not have kitchen facilities, and a good number of people are struggling with fuel poverty and so even if they do have an oven, they are unable to use it due to lack of power. In the face of such injustice - it has been an honour to be able to offer a little respite and support at a Soul Food meal. Fabulous cooks have provided hot, nourishing meals and partners we have worked with have provided warm, safe spaces for people to relax and meet with others. It has been great to have charities such as Changeworks along to the meals who can offer practical support and advice to anyone dealing with fuel poverty, and we have been grateful to other charities around the city who allow us to refer folk to them for help with food, benefits and housing advice. The people who come along to Soul Food, whether as a guest or volunteer (or both!) – are the absolute salt of the earth and it has been an honour to share life with them.

Some of you will know that Richard and I have moved to England. We have managed to keep the two Soul Food meals that we run going for the last eighteen months as we have commuted back and forth from the Scottish Borders, but with our move - across the border - the time has now come for us to hang up our Edinburgh Soul Food aprons and concentrate on the communities we have been invited to work with down South. Richard cooked his last Soul Food meal in September and my last Soul Food meal will be in December.

Soul Food meals continue in Edinburgh, Livingston and Bristol, but the meals we have led and funded on a Monday evening at The City of Edinburgh Methodist Church and Grace Church Leith, will close unless we can find someone else to pick up the baton.

Naturally, we are in conversation with several people about these meals, but IF this is something you, your church or organisation would like to be involved in, we would love to hear from you. We have a large team of brilliant volunteers ready to keep the meals going, but we need someone/group who would be able to oversee, take under their wing, one, or both meals.

If this appeals, but engaging with issues of poverty is something new to you, we are holding a conversation with Dr Keetie Roelen - who I quoted at the beginning of this post - about what it is to engage with poverty empathetically and how to do it well. The conversation will take place on Saturday 29^th November at Grace Church Leith, 3 Shrubhill Walk, Edinburgh at 11am – 12:45pm. Tickets are free, but we ask if you could book in via the the Eventbrite link here that would be great.

I will write more over the coming weeks, but for now, please do keep in touch if you would like to know more about ways that you can be involved. My email is jenny@soulfoodedinburgh.org and I really look forward to hearing from you.