BBC- Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen is now giving out 150 meals every week, compared to 100 in 2021
- Local businesses provide surplus food which is prepared at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara
- 6-10 volunteers cook meals and distribute them every Sunday
- Many people say they couldn’t do without the hot food provided
Volunteers at a soup kitchen say they are struggling to keep up with demand as the cost of living crisis continues.
Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen is handing out 150 meals every week, an increase of 50% from when it opened in 2021.
Volunteer Gurch Randhawa said it is “scary” when the team are packing up, “because you realise we’ve run out of food, and people are still coming”.
“It’s a really good service”, said one visitor. “I can’t go without it at the moment – I’m struggling”.
Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen
One of the people accepting food said she would “suffer” without the soup kitchen.
“I’m homeless and I’m hungry, and they really help. I come down as often as I can.
“It’s good that these people do that, very kind of them.”
Asked whether handing out food created dependency, Mr Randhawa said: “We’re probably at about 0C now and it’s very cold, it’s very wet.
“If people are willing to come out in these kind of weather conditions, I don’t think we should judge people who clearly need food.”