Cabinet member praises community effort
Released: 24 September 2007
Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety has commended the swift action taken by volunteers, church organisations and council officers when a city centre soup kitchen had to close its doors.
Councillor Elias Mattu said he had been really impressed by the response of a number of groups in the city who came together to offer a helping hand after a burglary forced the soup kitchen at the All Nations Christian Centre to temporarily close.
He said: “I would like to extend my personal thanks to our partners in the city who really pulled out all the stops to ensure that the soup kitchen service has remained available to homeless and vulnerable people in the city.
“The centre provides a wonderful service throughout the year - when it was forced it to close its doors there was a real danger that people who use the service would go without the twice weekly hot meals upon which they have come to rely.
“I’m pleased to say that as a result of the quick thinking and dedication of this small group of people a replacement quality service was in place soon after they became aware of the problem.”
Upon hearing of the closure on September 12 council officers arranged for a batch of soup to be made by the catering staff at the Civic Centre. Council staff from the Community Initiatives Team and members of the Order of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd were then on hand in the evening at to pass out cups of soup and sandwiches to an appreciative group of more than 20 people at Darlington Street Methodist Church.
On Sunday September 16, the Estrobelle Community Café at the Newhampton Centre in Whitmore Reans, also opened its doors to 35 people who enjoyed a meal of Caribbean chicken and a traditional rice and peas dish served by the same group of volunteers.
These temporary arrangements are being continued until the normal hot meals service for this group of vulnerable people can be resumed as soon as possible.
Issued by the press office.
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