Breakfast Volunteering

Fact File

109,111 breakfasts served in 2010/11, an average of 298 a day. A 9% rise on last year.
4175 different people used our services in 2010/11. A 36% rise on last year.
2702 people used our advice services in 2010/11. A 23% rise on last year.
232 different people used our emergency bed provision during the freezing conditions of 2010/11.
2632 evening meals served as part of our severe weather emergency provision.
435 people use the Missions address to receive their post.
30% of people supported by the Whitechapel Mission have been in care at some point.
15% of people supported by the Whitechapel Mission have been in the armed services.
112 people found a flat, 151 people found a hostel in 2010/11.

News

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Help us this spring, as we work together to feed thousands of London’s homeless and hurting! With homelessness in London at a record high,thousands of homeless people will walk through our doors for a hot meal and most importantly - hope.
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Most needed items - Our wish list. Please support our Severe Weather Emergency Provision
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Most young people in local authority care are destined to end up in prison, homeless or working as prostitutes, a report by a think tank claims.
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Just 60 babies adopted last year in England
The number of babies adopted in England fell to 60 last year despite a sharp rise in the number of children in care.
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It maybe that you cannot get a team of more than 3 or that you cannot get your team here for 5:45am. Neither of these reasons will exclude you from volunteering at Whitechapel or prevent you helping us serve breakfast.

It is not unusual for volunteers wanting to donate a couple of hours in the morning before going to work. Many volunteers will arrive in time to finish the cooking of breakfast and maybe serve breakfast for the first hour, before they need to leave to get to work just up the road.

So gaps in our volunteering diary can be filled with individuals or smaller teams that may not be able to be with us for the whole morning and can support the staff team in some way. These dates are highlighted in the diary in yellow.

At 6am, the first task of the day will be to prepare breakfast. This requires the preparation and cooking of bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns, buttering of bread and making of toast. We will make and serve over 400 cups of tea, and 600 cups of coffee.

At 8am, some of the team will begin to serve breakfast, while others continue to cook more breakfasts and others will collect plates, wipe tables and wash up. There will be a rush at 8am for breakfast, which will last for about 20-30 minutes and then continue for approximately the next hour and a half at a steady rate.

During all of the morning, we will be giving out towels, soap, razors, shampoo and toothbrushes.

At 10am our kitchens close for the day and we can begin to clean the kitchen down and prepare it for the next day.

By 11am the centre will close and we will begin the big clean-up. The Dinning area will need to be swept and mopped. The toilets will need to be cleaned and hosed. The shower area will need to be cleaned and prepared for the following morning.

By 11:30 we should be able finished for the day.

If you are interested in volunteering with The Whitechapel Mission, please contact our office on 020 7247 8280 or view our volunteering diary.