Association of Polish Knights of Malta UK
Open House at St. Patricks, our weekly volunteers event on Tuesdays
Every Tuesday evening the Order of Malta hosts a Kitchen for the homeless in the basement of St Patrick's Church, Soho Sq. This collaboration between the Knights of Malta, Companions of the Order of Malta and OMV offers us all a chance to volunteer and serve the homeless of Central London. We really need as many helpers as possible to cook food and wait on our guests.
Peter Allingham writes: ‘This project has got off to an amazing start with a fine array of volunteers and some truly excellent cooking. We have received some very heartfelt thanks for our work and it really is making a difference to the lives of our guests, some of whom have little other social contact during the week. Our new volunteers have surprised themselves. I have had more than one conversation in the last two weeks from helpers who were convinced that they would not enjoy the work anything like as much as they are. I’m convinced that Open House is doing easily as much for us as helpers as it is for the homeless we care for by allowing us to follow the Order’s noble tradition of seeing the person of Christ in every person we serve. The chance to do that is a rich blessing indeed.’
The Polish Order of Malta Volunteers would like to become involved in this invaluable work, particularly as the Poles are the largest group of guests the church receives which is why Polish speakers are very welcome among the volunteers who run the soup kitchen. However, this number will certainly grow, as the soup kitchen has only been running for a couple of months now. If you can't make it every Tuesday, why not come down and join in from time to time?
If you'd like to come along, please feel free to just show up any time before 7 pm. If arriving after 6pm, please use the new entrance to the Church basement on Goslett Yard (turn right at the Starbuck's on Charing Cross Road and just follow the passage round to the end— see the Google map to find St. Patrick's Church. This project is still very much in the making, so unfortunately there are no pictures or website as yet. However the word amongst the homeless must have spread very fast and the numbers of guests has greatly increased so any help will be much appreciated.
