Serving a mission

I moved to East London at the beginning of the year and am lucky enough to live within walking distance of the T. Rowe Price offices in London. My journey is one straight line down the Mile End Road, leading onto Whitechapel Road and following the Gherkin, which remains constant in your eyeline like a financial North Star.?

On my daily commute, I started noticing a group of people gathered at the same spot under a small, discreet sign saying, "The Whitechapel Mission," and after a few weeks of walking past that same group, at the same time every day, I decided I wanted to find out more about why they were there and what the Whitechapel Mission was.?

The Whitechapel Mission is a charity that has been serving the homeless and marginalised since 1876. Every morning they host the "Breakfast Challenge" for volunteers who come in and help serve breakfast for up to 350 homeless people 6-10 a.m. They also have a day centre, skills training, and career advice, plus activity programmes and specialist support for the complex needs of those who walk through the door.?

By encouraging each person to address the issues that caused their homelessness, the Whitechapel Mission aims to help them to gain the skills and confidence to make lasting changes in their lives. Everything the mission does is without government funding, relying instead on personal and corporate donations, legacies, gift aid, and donations of clothing, toys, etc.?

When COVID-19 hit and all government-funded kitchens like this had to close, the Whitechapel Mission remained open. Due to COVID restrictions, they were no longer allowed to accept volunteers, so a team of four staff members served up to 650 breakfasts to the homeless coming from all round London. They don’t ask for a fee or donation to take part in the Breakfast Challenge but instead simply ask volunteers to spread the word and encourage more people to take part.

Unsurprisingly, it did not take me long to recruit my team of six volunteers (despite the 5:45 a.m. start and people travelling in from much further afield than me). We all met slightly bleary-eyed but ready to roll up our sleeves, with no idea or expectation about what the morning held in store.?

At 6 a.m. the doors opened, and we were all assigned jobs including staffing the tea- and coffee-making station, cooking breakfast (we would go on to cook somewhere in the region of 300 eggs) and serving breakfast.

It was fast-paced but not too overwhelming, thanks to the wonderful instructions and guidance of the Whitechapel Mission volunteers, some of whom we later found out used to be on the other side of the serving counter.?

Like most people, I’ve always found it difficult to know what the right thing to do is when a homeless person approaches me. Throughout the morning, none of us really had the opportunity to stand back and think about what we were doing; we were simply fulfilling the task in hand. But on reflection, it was the most humanised interaction I’ve had with a homeless person.?

We were reminded before we started of the potential impact we might be having that morning. You might be the only person they talk to that day, or you might help cook and serve the only meal they’ll have access to. Saying good morning with a smile, which we all do so automatically when in the office, can make the world of difference to someone who doesn’t always get that same level of social interaction.?

I’m sure there are days that the breakfast challenge doesn’t go quite as straightforwardly as it did for us, but they operate a no-ban, no-judgement policy, and as they say in their mission statement, they are open to all, without exception.

We all came away feeling incredibly humbled and fulfilled. It brought us closer together as a team, and it was a great reminder that everyone in life deserves a seat at the table and for their voice to be heard. So, my message to you is get a team together, set those alarm clocks, and head down to Whitechapel. And if you’re ever a volunteer or two short, I know six people who would jump at the chance of doing it all over again.?

This experience may not change your life, but it will certainly change at least one aspect of your thinking and preconceptions about those who find themselves homeless. More importantly, for the people you are helping, it will make a huge difference to them that day.

Find out more about our work in the community here