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Soup kitchen having to turn people away

Nicola Haseler/BBC A group of women smile at the camera as they stand outside at the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen. They wear coats, blue plastic gloves and high vis jackets, and two of them wear headscarves. They are serving up cake onto white paper plates. In the background a Sikh man with a long grey beard and a white turban also looks at the camera. In the background are other volunteers and a van with its back door open.Nicola Haseler/BBC
Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen has given out more than 20,000 meals since 2021

A soup kitchen providing hot meals for the homeless had to turn people away after it ran out of food.

Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen started up three years ago and is a regular fixture in the town centre on Sunday evenings.

Volunteer Gurch Randhawa said: "We’re finding a lot of people are moving out of London and being relocated into hostels here.

"This is usually the only hot meal people have had that day, sometimes even that week."

Meals such as lentil dhal and pasta are cooked at the nearby Guru Nanak Gurdwara, then distributed in the town centre, along with food donated by local supermarkets and bakeries.

Nicola Haseler/BBC Jamie who is homeless smiles as the camera as he stands outside in Luton town centre after dark. There are buildings and street lights behind him, as well as a person with a baseball cap whose head is down. Jamie wears a grey parka coat with a furry edged hood, a beanie hat and a grey hoodie with his hood up. He is white and has grey eyes and a neat goatee beard/moustache. Nicola Haseler/BBC
Jamie is homeless and says he "admires" the soup kitchen volunteers

Jamie, who is homeless, said the food was "something to fall back on".

"I’m sleeping rough at the moment in car parks and stairwells. Now it’s cold I’m trying to find somewhere indoors.

"Getting help with food is a life saver really. It is the only guaranteed hot meal I get today."

He said he had "big respect for people who come out and do this".

"It’s a relief to know there are people out here to help," he added.

Nicola Haseler/BBC Nikolasz from Hungary looks at the camera, standing in Luton town centre with shops behind him. It is dark and there is the shape of a Christmas tree in the background. He wears a bright blue anorak over a dark blue hoodie, with his hood up. He has the straps of a blue rucksack over his shoulders. He is white with blue eyes and has a goatee beard. Nicola Haseler/BBC
Nikolasz has ended up living in a car park after his London landlord sold the house he was renting

Another person being helped by the soup kitchen is Nikolasz, who is originally from Hungary but has ended up living in a Luton car park.

"I lived in Hackney in London but my landlord sold the house," he told the BBC.

He moved to Luton hoping to get work as a driver, and is in contact with homeless charity Noah.

"I am living with my wife, we've found a car park. The wind and rain is a big problem, and it’s about four degrees, zero degrees."

Nicola Haseler/BBC Councillor Javeria Hussai smiles at the camera as she stands outside Luton Town hall after dark. She wears dark blue glasses and has brown eyes and dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail. She is wearing an army green coat, a dark green v neck jumper, and a shirt with blue and white stripes. Nicola Haseler/BBC
Councillor Javeria Hussain says "the queue is growing" at the soup kitchen

Javeria Hussain is a local councillor who also volunteers at the soup kitchen.

"One of the beauties of Luton is we’re always united in supporting people less fortunate than ourselves," she said.

"That's why initiatives like this are really important to ensure nobody goes hungry.

"These bare essentials ensure people can survive through winter," she added.

Nicola Haseler/BBC The gazebo for the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen, which is navy blue and has a sikh symbol on that looks like a turban-shaped crown. In front of it stands a group of volunteers who are mostly men. Four of them wear turbans as well as a younger boy. Next to them are volunteers with their back turned who wear high vis jackets saying GNG Luton.Nicola Haseler/BBC
Different generations from the Guru Nanak Gurdwara volunteer at the weekly soup kitchen

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