A CHARITY with humble beginnings as a pop-up stall needs donations and volunteers so it can help more homeless people in Rugby.
Max Anstey founded Help the Homeless Rugby in 2015 – when he was just 19 years old – by cooking and serving food for rough sleepers at a town-centre stall.
Now the charity offers clothing and food at a food kitchen on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, based at Mister Robinson’s Barbers in Church Street, and delivers food parcels to struggling families.
But Max, now 23, is appealing for funds so he can open a cafe staffed by homeless people and volunteers for seven days a week.
He said: “This will become a permanent space for our food kitchen, and allow us to provide training and employment for the homeless. We want to offer a means for destitute people to empower themselves.”
Software and web developer Max started the charity after he noticed the worsening living conditions of people across the country.
He said: “Rough sleepers are often the most let down by society so it seemed the natural place to start as I wanted to begin tackling the issues around us.
“The group works to change the public’s perception of poverty, homelessness and addiction so that they are understood to be symptoms of larger issues.
“To look back and see how far we’ve come from those days in the kitchen of my flat, preparing food to be served on a pop-up stall in the town centre, is an incredible feeling.
“We now have a passionate team of volunteers helping many people in and around Rugby each week, and it’s so heartwarming to know that if anyone is in need of help or support they can rely on us.”
And he is keen to add more members to the team to help collect and deliver the food parcels.
“The more we achieve, the more support we need from the community,” he said, “but with it comes bigger and better results for those who need it most.”
Visit the Help the Homeless Rugby Facebook page, email [email protected] or call Max on 07395 358667 to volunteer, to request food parcels, or to donate food (vegan only).
The charity needs to raise £10,000 to open a cafe. Visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hhr-rugby to donate.
Visit www.helpthehomelessrugby.co.uk for more information.
