A Lincoln homeless charity has been forced to expand its services because of a surge in demand. Volunteers Let Them Eat Cake set up the Mint Lane café in Lincoln in response to the rising cost of living.
Volunteer Claire Sloan said: “The cost of living has affected everybody massively. Some people are really struggling and inevitably ending up on the streets and having to make the very hard decision of whether they heat their home or have a meal.”
She added: “It’s an open event for anybody to come along, whether you are homeless, elderly, disabled or just struggling generally with life, to come along, have a chat and get a hot meal.
“There’s a lot of people out there that can go some days without a hot meal. So, it’s just having that social element for a lot of people.”
Lead volunteer Marion Foster said it’s really rewarding when they have made a difference to someone’s quality of life.
She said: “We’ve had one gentleman we worked with for three years. He was a heroin user, and in that time, he stopped all his drugs, came off the street, reconnected with his family and his 15-year-old daughter.”
Marion added: “The main thing is to make them feel like they matter. There’s a lot of people out there who are dirty – they need to have a shower and a hot meal.”
“It’s just trying to make their life a little bit better because they’re struggling.”
Volunteers at the charity go out several times each week, delivering hot meals to homeless people in Lincoln.
The charity also has a Nite Bite café open in the Birchwood on Friday evenings and the Mint Lane Café is open on Tuesday mornings.