Jane Bruce believes that more high-street stores can follow the lead of Social Bite and ensure they help more people

My last post marked some reflections on my time on placement with social business, Social Bite, as part of the Clore Social Leadership Programme. My placement is now coming to an end and I’ve been reflecting on an area of work I’ve been particularly enjoying.

Social Bite co-founder Josh asked me to trial opening his sandwich shops exclusively for homeless people during the early evening as part of the activities of his umbrella charity – Social Bite Fund. It’s a great idea as the shops close to the general public at 3pm and have the potential to be a hub for local homeless people already familiar with Social Bite as many already come in for free food and drink during regular opening hours.

After fleshing out the idea with Social Bite’s regular homeless visitors and a range of local homelessness services, Social Bite Suppers was born and we have been running events at one of the Edinburgh shops every Tuesday afternoon for the past couple of months.

There’s a lot of hungry people out there, all different shapes, sizes, backgrounds, nationalities and ages. But genuinely hungry, genuinely in need of help.

Jane Bruce

The basic idea is that we provide a warm and friendly environment, free hot and healthy food and a route to accessing support and opportunities provided by homelessness charities. Over time we aim to develop regular volunteering and training opportunities for the homeless and support people to build their confidence and employability. Ultimately we’d love to identify individuals keen to work within the business as it expands.

It’s still early days for the project but I have been struck by the potential of using a high street venue to connect with highly vulnerable individuals and as a resource for local charities. And to do this not as a once a year token gesture but to have the ambition to build this into a business model and potentially do it every day. What could other high street chains achieve for the most excluded in our society with a bit of imagination?

Other aspects of the Suppers echo my past experiences in that we are harnessing the simple power of welcoming people with warmth and respect and aiming to create a safe, positive and non-judgemental atmosphere using some simple boundaries. We have been running the events with a mix of staff and volunteers and again the simple act of person helping person is confirmed to me as a potent force. This goes too for the many helpful folk that have gone the extra mile to help me with the project, including those working at partner charities – hats off to the homelessness sector, you guys rock!

But at the end of each session, I’m left with less positive emotions and I’m struck by a harsh reality. There’s a lot of hungry people out there. All different shapes, sizes, backgrounds, nationalities and ages. But genuinely hungry, genuinely in need of help. And each week there seem to be more people. Out of the shadows and onto the high street…

Jane Bruce is a Clore Social Leadership fellow. Applications for the next round of fellowships open on 11 May 2015 and Scottish applicants can find out more about it at a Meet the Fellows event in Edinburgh on 12 May.

Find out more about volunteering with Social Bite by emailing [email protected]