Caring in Bristol to make final Cheers Drive deliveries this week

Caring in Bristol to make final Cheers Drive deliveries this week

Posted on: 27 Jul 2021

The charity's pioneering food delivery service has supported more than 850 vulnerable people since April 2020.

 

Local homelessness charity Caring in Bristol are set to bring their Cheers Drive project to a close this Friday 30 July, making their final food deliveries after an incredibly successful 15-month run.

 

Initially devised in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus crisis, Cheers Drive was set up to provide regular free hot meals for homeless people and rough sleepers across Bristol.

 

Caring in Bristol now intend to launch a brand-new initiative to secure food support for a growing number of people in the city who have recently experienced homelessness and continue to face food insecurity.

 

 

Owing largely to the hard work of volunteers based across the wider Bristol area, Cheers Drive provided consistent deliveries for more than 850 homeless people and rough sleepers living on the streets or in temporary emergency accommodation during the pandemic.

 

The project was supported by an extensive network of professional chefs working out of renowned independent cafes, bars and restaurants, donating their time, resources and expertise to ensure a steady supply of fresh, nutritious meals for delivery.

 

After its full launch in April, Caring in Bristol celebrated the delivery of their 50,000th hot meal just over a month later, going on to surpass the 100,000- and 150,000-meal milestones months later.

 

Summarising their efforts in a statement released this week, the team said: 

 

"Cheers Drive was set up as a humanitarian response to a crisis: hundreds of people experiencing homelessness were placed into self-contained spaces, such as hotels and B&Bs, under the government’s 'Everyone In' scheme, but had no access to cooking facilities or safe way of accessing food elsewhere.

 

"A service responding to the crisis in a quick, creative, client-centred and robust way is an undertaking that we are immensely proud of and have learned so much from. 

 

"Now, in line with one of our three core values - 'focus on the end goal' - we are ready to enter the next phase of the project."

 

 

What Next?

 

While the Cheers Drive project is coming to an end, Caring in Bristol's work to support people across the city affected by food insecurity is set to continue through the coming months.

 

The charity have announced that, in response to client feedback and thorough research carried out over the past year, they plan to set up a membership-based food store for people with recent experience of homelessness.

 

It's hoped that the new scheme will alleviate pressure on household budgets and reduce the need for people to use city-centre crisis food provision.

 

Members using the service will be given a tailored support plan by the project team, including nutrition information and advice on food prep.

 

For more information on Caring in Bristol, to find out what the team have planned for the remainder of 2021 or to support the charity's work with a donation, head to their website.

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Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.