Day 00/05 - Catering Brief 2018

A couple of weeks before we open the Crisis At Christmas centres, the volunteers arrive en masse one Sunday morning for a briefing.

We are split into the various topic groups and our Catering teams from the centres gather for a welcome, briefing and the mandatory Powerpoint with unfeasibly small fonts for the back rows.

 It's a chance for apprehensive new Kitchen Assistants to ask any question before the big day and to meet others in the same position, a chance too for old lags to meet up with returning buddies from last year's centres.

This year there will be 17 centres, 11 in London with four day centres open 9am-9pm for anyone to drop into, some guests will be referred onto one of five residential 24hr centres, typically those who have nowhere to sleep or know to outreach groups and shelters.

This year we have a "hybrid" centre in Croydon that is both a Day Centre and a Residential Centre.

There is an Operations Centre in Bermondsey handling food distribution, a Transport Hub of vans and cars to move guests, food, fridges freezers and equipment around on a 7D24H basis.

This year Crisis welcomes 13,000 volunteers freely giving their time.

Last year we have 3,183 guests, 80% male, 31% rough sleeps ranging from 18-90 years old averaging 47 years old, we also have a female only centre for those who prefer to sleep there.

The guests are asked to complete a survey on why they come and give the main reasons as companionship, food (3 hot meals a day), medical support, advice, feel good services and to feel valued at Christmas.

Secure 7D24H luggage stores are provided so guests can leave their only possessions, clothing, emergency transport, advice, games, IT, books, music and hairdressing.

Healthcare is provided and included doctors, dentists, opticians, podiatrists, physiotherapy and dependency workers. TB is on the rise again, so a mobile X-Ray centre is set up! There were 431 healthcare sessions and 312 eye tests.

Along too are The Samaritans for guests and volunteers, AA, CA and NA (Narcotic Anonymous) meetings every day.

Massage, sewing (639 repairs last year), dog kennels, a visiting Vet and vacations for the dogs, so guests like to sleep with their dogs so may sleep in the kennels area - there is nothing Crisis doesn't think of or cater for!

Shifts in the residential centres are 0745-1600, 1500-2300 and 2215-0830hrs, I'll be in the kitchens on the afternoon shift.

We serve a full English breakfast of course around 9am, hot lunch at 1230 and evening dinner my shift will cook at about 1900hrs, The Gate also serves a 3am hot meal for the nights owls, but that's a carefully kept secret.

There will be turkey on Christmas Day and all the trimmings, cooked by the afternoon shifts.

Most vegetarians seem to be the volunteers but we cater for two options at meal time. Nella sharpen our knives every day, and trust me you don't want to be casual with a kitchen knife.

Finally we raised £1.1M last year from volunteers getting sponsors, being the reason I'm writing this by way of thank-you to tell you we are serious and careful with the money we spend.

So that concludes your Powerpoint briefing.

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NB: These diary entries are written as a thank-you to everyone who has donated to Crisis, or would still like to from my river cycle tours. I write this diary to let you know how we spend your money and to encourage you to keep supporting Crisis as it depends upon your donations to fund the huge Christmas operation and year round services -  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/llct2019

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