About

The Beginning

The Brixton Soup Kitchen (BSK) started in January 2013 and quickly gained traction, as it was a much-needed service in the local community. Solomon Smith & Mahamed Hashi, the founders, and fellow Director, Derrick Anderson, were all youth workers at the time.

What we do

The BSK is a welcoming community hub. It is a secure, warm place to visit where not only will a hot lunch be served, there is also a food bank, a clothes bank and legal advice on Thursday evenings. Several of the service users have been helped to find employment or housing and others have gained the confidence to enrol in training & further education. The BSK also does remarkable outreach work on a regular basis, taking hot food and clothing to rough sleepers and families in need across London. (Find out more here)

BSK’s Network and Supporters

The BSK has created a close rapport with the Job Centre Pinnacle Project and Lambeth Probation Service, arranging for individuals to commit on a regular basis, which allows the Kitchen to rely on assistance as well as bolstering a sense of effectiveness in each service user.

Two sizeable donations have been made by the Surprise, Surprise team and the Marks & Spencer ‘Spark Something in 24-Hours’ scheme. The Surprise, Surprise group came in and outfitted the entire kitchen. The M&S Sparks scheme kitted the dining and communal areas with carpeting and furniture. CitiBank also became involved in a total clearing of the garden for three days. Their outsourcing of industrial diggers and manual labour has allowed our garden to be safe.

Over the years, the Directors and the organization have received recognition for the work of the Kitchen by way of Awards and media coverage, including; Our Heroes Award (twice), Back 2 Black Inspirational Award BAFTA, Precious Award, Community Recognition Award Greater Heights, Independent On Sunday Happy 100 Award, Evening Standard Progress 1000 Award – Most Influential Londoners. The BSK have made appearances on UK’s Surprise, Surprise, ITV News, Victoria Derbyshire Show, SKY News, LBC, BBC News, Chicken Shop C4 and Solomon was a Bar B Q Champ. Solomon and Mahamed have given several TED talks and speak regularly in local schools and institutions.