CRACK + CIDER: Shop for the Homeless

Every morning on my way to work I walk past the same three people sat on the pavement. My homeless neighbours. I spend the rest of my walk ruminating over my small, insignificant problems in relation to how harsh life has been to so many. And yet every morning I walk straight on by. Avoiding eye contact. Crossing the road. 

Confiding in a friend (Scarlett, my co-founder), and then others, we found that lots of people feel the same way. Deeply caring about the problem but feeling helpless to help. 

We decided to do something about it. 

We knew that the suspended coffee concept was growing, as was the pile of Tesco sandwiches next to the man sat outside the store. So we wondered, how could we leverage this behaviour and turn it into something greater and more beneficial? 

"People don't give me cash because they just think I'll spend it on crack and cider" 

Welcome CRACK + CIDER: Shop for the homeless. The world's first shop where you can buy useful items for London's rough sleepers and we'll distribute them in time for Christmas. 

We're launching on 4th November at One Good Deed Today, 73 Kingsland Rd, Hackney and online www.crackandcider.com. Here are three lessons I have learned (so far) while crafting and launching this not-for-profit project. 

1. Care about the problem

If you truly, madly, deeply care about the problem you're solving you are 99% of the way there. There's no doubt going to be hundreds of hurdles in your path and the sheer determination to improve something in the world, that you feel passionately about, will make jumping over those hurdles that tiny bit easier. And that really will make all the difference. 

2. There will be haters... 

Dealing with any complex and sensitive topic ultimately means that you're never going to be able to entirely solve the problem. At least that's the case with our project. And that's OK. You just have to be honest with yourself, and others, and know that doing something is better than nothing. We all have to start somewhere. 

3. ...But there will also be lovers 

The most humbling and awesome thing about doing a pro-social project is the incredible amount of help and enthusiasm from the people around you. We've been truly blessed to have so many wonderful friends and strangers give their advice, talent and time to us and the cause. Don't feel nervous about asking people to help, we've definitely found that people often feel similarly passionately and are eager to help more than we could have ever foreseen. 

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If you'd like to chat about the project please say hello [email protected] and if you're a journalist who cares deeply about homelessness and you'd like to come to our launch event please see the invitation below and send me a note!