Wisbech charity breaks its record for feeding homeless

One pot of chicken casserole used to be enough - but now it takes at least three to feed the hungry, the charity said

The co-founder of a charity that provides hot meals said it was shocked by the increasing numbers of people needing its help.

George Broughton, 26, set up Feed Fenland in 2022 and so far has provided 27,000 meals in Cambridgeshire.

The charity relies entirely on donations and now has more than 80 volunteers cooking and delivering meals in Wisbech and March.

Mr Broughton said last week it broke its record with 175 meals on one night.

The lawyer, who lives in Wisbech, started the pop-up hot meals service with his wife and mother two years ago, initially serving food from a table in car parks in the town.

He said it was to "fill a gap as a previous service was winding down".

"It was clear there was a lot of poverty - people were struggling - and in some ways it was a stark environment," he said.

George Broughton and Kristi Dowker with their pop-up hot food service

The charity began slowly, as "we were running a soup kitchen with no kitchen, but a pop-up service was a bit of a novelty and word got out - and it just snowballed," he said.

During its first year, the charity was providing about 30 hot meals a night but that has since "gone off the charts", he said, and the average is about 125 meals on each of the six nights it opens in Wisbech and the one night it serves food in March.

Anyone in need can come for a meal from the charity

However, last week it catered for 175 people in one night, which left volunteers in "awe and fear" over whether they could continue to meet the ever-increasing need.

About 80% of people using the service were "experiencing some form of homelessness, while others are in permanent accommodation but are really struggling", said Mr Broughton.

Volunteers at the charity are called members, and all have a say in how it is run

His wife, Kristi Dowker, said: "Money is tight for many people - and that's why our service is growing, but we need manpower."

Dozens of volunteers - called members - help Feed Fenland each week, cooking from their own homes before the meals are taken to distribution points outside the Queen Mary Centre in Wisbech and March Community Centre - or delivered in some cases to people's homes.

"We've seen the most extraordinary outpouring of support from individuals and we're building really good relationships with supermarkets and businesses," Mr Broughton said.

"After two years, we really feel we have the support of the community.

"We have about 200 people who regularly rely on us for their dinner, and they are so grateful.

"But really, we're just providing a hot meal - that's it."