A while back, like every day, our man Scott got chatting with a customer in-store. What ostensibly started as a search for some new trainers, we quickly got to learn more about his career as co-founder of a community soup kitchen in South London.

As it turned out we had met Dean Foster, better known as Fos, who, along with Junior Mohammed (a.k.a Jud), founded the Peckham Soup Kitchen, a community soup kitchen and non-profit organisation that supports a wide-range of people in Peckham and the larger borough of Southwark. We had to find out more.

When speaking with Fos and Jud, it becomes immediately clear that they are both proud to be community representatives from their borough of Southwark. Having both grown up in the area, they became increasingly aware that many people around them were struggling – lack of access to services, falling into crime, dropping away from education, and more recently, suffering at the hands of the rising cost of living. 

“We both grew up here, and saw how people around us were facing difficulties from all parts of their lives. Now, with the cost of living crisis going on, things are amplified. Parents are struggling to put food on the table and are working so much so there’s no access child care available outside of school” Fos says.

The story is likely true across many areas of London and the UK as a whole, with underfunded programs for young people, pressure on education, changing landscapes of employment and many other issues that strain people’s lives. The core of what Jud and Fos have built at Peckham Soup Kitchen, is, as the name suggests, their twice-weekly soup kitchens that offer hot, nutritious meals to anyone who needs them. “The kitchen runs twice a week and we have a team of volunteers. It helps all kinds of people, all from the Peckham and Southwark area: young people, parents, families, refugees. It’s clear there is a need for help for so many more people than you might expect.”

What sets Peckham Soup Kitchen’s approach apart is their holistic approach to tackling these issues, aiming to prevent issues from reoccurring for people. “Both of us have a background in youth work and engagement. A common thing we’ve seen is kids not seeing any role models from this area, from where they are growing up, achieve success. Our youth programmes are addressing this, mainly through sport and creative roles like film-making”, Jud tells me. 

Youth engagement programmes range from fitness and running, through football, all the way to the film-making programme that Jud references. Where possible, each program is led by someone from the area, including fitness content creators, football coaches, and TV directors, all of whom have gone on to achieve notable successes. “We really want to show young people that there are many people like them who grew up in the same area as them and have done great things. Lots of the people we have worked with simply haven’t seen any role-models from our area, so we are showing them it is possible.”

Not only does this give positive role-models to everyone who joins, but also develops friendships and connection, develops meaningful habits and skills for young people outside of school-time, and builds structure, which both Jud and Fos agree help prevent things like falling away from education or into gangs and crime.

“I’m a fitness fanatic” Fos says, when I ask about the power that movement can have for their community, “I was in the gym 5-, 6-days a week. I love it. But when I was diagnosed with Lupus, that was taken away from me for a while, and I still have to manage it. But that made me realise how much it gave me, physically and mentally and when I was growing up. The programs we run through Peckham Soup Kitchen keep growing, kids are bringing friends and siblings along, so it’s clear what it means to people. For our football programs, we have had nearly 100 sign-ups for sessions.” 

Jud, similarly, has felt the positive force that exercise can provide. “I have Sickle Cell, so I’m on-and-off with what I can handle. But it is important for me to stay consistent in my routine. This year, it’s all about consistency for me!” And that’s an apt comparison to what Peckham Soup Kitchen is giving to the community - consistency. Consistency in knowing they have meals taken care of twice per week, a consistent place to go to have fun, exercise and learn, a consistent peace of mind to working parents knowing their children are being taken care of and are engaging with something positive and fulfilling.

Of course, it’s not without challenges along the way. As a non-profit, they operate on grants and donations to make these things happen, so it’s a never ending battle of applications – some of which may be fruitless – donation drives, volunteering recruitment and logistical hurdles. “One thing we’ve found is that some spaces just aren’t accommodating for young people. Some local gyms we’ve approached don’t allow under-16s in. We’re always having to find spaces that are able to let us use their space on a budget.”

But even faced with these barriers, it’s clear that Jud and Fos both are driven by a love for their home, and seeing positive impact on people all across the borough.

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Peckham Soup Kitchen is always looking for volunteers for their range of programmes, from soup kitchen help to donation drive volunteers. They also accept donations in-person and through their website.

You can find out more here.