By Maame Takyi and Jessica Bashir Stone
Solomon Smith is the owner, award winner and manager of Brixton Soup Kitchen. He was bought up in London and has seen first-hand how bad homelessness can affect those in need. So he decided to start up his own company to help.
During an interview with Smith, he said he started his career at age 12 by helping the homeless and vulnerable. His mother was known for making a lot of food so he would hide what he could and then give the leftovers to the homeless.
The company has been funded by Smith and those around him since 2013. In a recent panel discussion on Hungry London at London Metropolitan University, Solomon said “We don’t get no government funding. Without donations we would be finished. How would we survive?”
The Brixton based company include necessary items for the homeless such as clothes, lawyers and a shower. Smith said: “All the lawyers are volunteers; we do our own fundraising. Anything from writing letters to companies to trust funds. We get our hands on anything really to help the homeless.”
The Brixton Soup Kitchen carries on thriving. “We went out at one o’clock in the morning with sleeping bags given to people in need. That is our ethos.” Said Solomon whilst speaking on what the company means.
The kitchen has been running for eight years now and doesn’t look to be slowing down. None of this would have happened if Smith had missed out on university. After a placement that was meant to last three months, he managed to build a career to last a lifetime.
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