PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRUSTEES REPORT
Year ended 31 March 2024
TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REpoirr (INCLUDING TRUSTEES, REPORT AND sfRATEGIC REPORn
The Trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year
ended 31" March 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended
Practice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities ' (FRS102 Section IA) in preparing the annual
report and financial statements of the charity.
The financial sL3tements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in
notes to the financial statements and applicable accounting standards, Accounting and Reporting by
Charities Statement of Recommended Prartice applicable to charitles preparing their accounts in
accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in
October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of
Ireland {FRS 102 Section IA). the charity's governing document, the Charities Act (Northern Ireland)
2008, Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2013, The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations
(Northern Ireland) 2015 and UK Generally AC￿pted Practice.
TRusfEES OF THE CHARrrY
The trustees who have served during the year were as follow5:
Mr P Mccusker Chalrperson
Mrs L Duffy Secretary
Mr T McQuillan Treasurer
Mr D McNaimey
Mrs H Connolly
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEfAILS
The registered name of the charity is People's Kitchen Belfast, charity registration number: NIC 108172
Trustees
Mr P Mccusker Chairperson
Mrs L Duffii Secretary
Mr T McQulllan Treasurer
Mr D McNairnev
Mrs H Connolly (Appointed 13 December 2023)
Manager
Mr P Mccusker
Registered Office
l Antrim Road
Belfast
BT15 2BE
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRUSTEES REPORT (convd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Independent Examiner
Hopper & Co
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors
6 Doagh Road
Ballyclare
Co Antrim
BT39 9BG
Bankers
Ulster Bank
City Centre (B) Branch
PO Box 232
11-16 Donegall Sq. East
Belfast
BTI SUB
STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
The People's Kltchen Belfast began life as St Patrick's Soup Kltchen, in April 2017. The project started
with volunteers who wanted to support those experiencing homelessness and poverty, serving warm
drlnks and sandwlches from a tea trolley in a doorway. The soup kitchen grew as the need in the City
was Increasing and we had to enhance our services to respond to the need and now operate 7 days a
week.
People'5 Kitchen, Belfast has received approval by the Charity Commission Nl in July 2021 as a charity,
reference number NIC 108172.
People's Kitchen, Belfast conduct Is governed by its Constitution.
The Board of Trustees Is responsible for the policy and strategy of the charlty along with the financial
and legal probity of the organlsation and the appointment of members. The Board meet5 on at least a
bi-monthly basis and receive5 regular management and financial reports.
Members are recrutted to ensure that representative skills and experiences are in place to deliver the
charity's vision and that the mission and objectives are achieved. There are two classes of membership;
individual and; affiliate. Any person can applyfor individual membership of the Company, providing they
are not an employee. Application to become an individual member is open to anyone and Is subject to
approval of the Board of Trustees. Any organisation active within the area of benefit, whether voluntary
or statutory, which subscribes to the Objects of the Charity can become an affiliate member. Potential
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAsr
TRusfEES REPORT (convd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Trustees are considered by the membership and elected at a general meetlng or Annual General
Meeting of the charity. The Trustee5 have the power to co-opt additional Trustees with particular skills,
who need not be members of the Charity.
The projett is managed by a Volunteer Co-ordinator, supported by a series of Team Leaders who
coordinate and organise a team of tralned and experienced Volunteers.
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
Providing a safety net for people at vulnerable times our objectives include:
Engaging with people who are in need because of. loneliness or isolation; food or fuel poverty,
homelessness or the risk of homelessness; people who are excluded from services or who are
destitute or who have other similar needs
Offering professional support and guidance provided by a team of trained and dedicated
volunteers
Creatlng a safe, warm, and welcoming place, available to all
Delivering food, clothing, sleeping bags and other essential services both within the premises
and through outreach
Committed to building a positive and life affirming environment, promoting confidence,
resilience and self esteem
Working together with professlonal partners to signpost people in need towards essential
accommodation and healthcare provider services
Supporting people onto paths out of poverty and homelessness towards independent living
Providing an open door to all people in need and treating everyone with equal re5pett and
dignity
How we achieve our objectives:
Homeless outreach-our team responds to the needs of those who would be rough sleeping or
at risk of rough sleeping in Belfast, attending to their basic needs and working with all agencles
including Extern, NIHE, BelfastTrust and the PSNI to ensure those who require help are able to
access it
Food Bank-Thls service provided a response to those experiencing food poverty and volunteers
worked hard to provide parcels throughout the week and maklng referral to the NBAP to help
assist individuals out of poverty.
Drop in service- Every Friday and Saturday• people experiencing povertylhomelessness can get
access to a hot meal and emotional support and provided the opportunity to be referred to
additional services if required
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRUSTEES REPORT (convd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
The project continues to operate from l Antrim Road a5 Our current main base and people who need
our help have become familiar with this location. As the need continues to grow, People's Kitchen will
respond to that need and look to develop new services. In time that may mean looking for more suitable
premises.
We have continued to see an increase in the need for our services as numbers of those presenting have
doubled in six months, we had to adapt and review ourteams to ensure we were able to continue to
provide an important service.
At times we struggled to secure funding and worried about the financial stsbility of the project and
without the generosity of the public we would not be able to continue to provide all of our services.
We have taken the lead in organising a number of marches and events to highlight the increasing deaths
relating to drug addiction and mental health, we particularly were concerned about the amount of
deaths on the Streets and the public joined u5 in calling for more Joint up services and an increase in
access to services for those experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health issues. Peoples
Kitchen took the lead also in organising a round table discussion with all polltlcal parties in Stormont
along with families who were impacted asking for their support to call for change. This work continues
with the "Empty Shoes" Lost Lives" campaign. We continue with thls campaigning through meeting
with government departments calling on better services for those experiencing homelessness/addittion
problems.
Our volunteers are provided wtth regular training which includes first aid, naloxone dispensing and
working with vulnerable adults, ourfocus is always for the development of our volunteer team and we
plan to offer more training in the new year.
Over the past number of years, we have been able to support several individuals to access rehabilitation
in Liverpool and parts of England. It was fantastic to see the change with them as they started recovery,
and some are now back volunteering at the projett.
We have over fifty volunteers that provide support across all of our services and give their time
generously to support those in need, we couldn't do the work without the commitment and dedicatlon
of them all and we aim to focus on more development of our teams.
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRusfEES REPORT (convd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Throughout the year we have had a number of a8encies/businesses that help support our work with
volunteering that include Department for Communities, Extern, Ulster Bank etc..
they have provided a
lifeline at times when the project was under extreme pressure.
The People's Kitchen supports a number of people who experience issues across Belfast, and we provide
services to people who are homeless or at risk of homeless including people experienclng addiction,
people who are seeking Asylurn or are Refugees, ex-offenders and prisoner5, people from an Ethnic
Minority, including people from the Irish Traveller Community, people with disabilities or mental health
concerns, people with HIV/AIDS, people living in poverty or deprivation, irrespective of community
location, including men. women and children, older and younger people, tenants and home owners,
victims. We also provide advice and information on our work to the General Public. volunteer5 and our
partners in the voluntary and community sector.
As a charity, we offer adVI￿/advocacY1lnforMatI0n, aim to find or refer to accommodation/housing
provision, including emergency accommodation, though that is getting much harder: we provide
counselling/support, education/trainlng, general welfare/benevolent support. In our general charitable
purposes. we are seeking to help alleviate poverty. We participate in research and evaluatlon of the
lived experience of homelessness when required.
The Peoples Kitchen Belfast has been able to run a number of inltiatlves looking at education and
working alongside local youth providers and have worked wlth over 2500 young people across the City
looking at prevention, empowerment and some of these young people have been able to secure
employment in the homeless sector. Our focus is on prevention and how we stop individuals from
experiencing homelessness.
Particularly around winter months, there can be an increase in deaths of people who are living in homes
that aren't warm, so its important people are aware of what support is available for them through
Belfast City Council and the Housing Executive and through all those agencies who can provide
assistsnce to stay warm.
One of the things we wanted to do was to get into the community and share that information but a150
bring a bit of joy to them. That Is why we have a drop-in service every Friday and Saturday night because
our homeless visitors get a dinner, they get a dessert and they are warm and can socialise.
People's Kitchen is about reaching out to the people in the community who are isolated and feel
detached from services.

PEOPLE'S KrrcHEN BELFAST
TRusfEES REPORT {conYd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
The following is a breakdown of numbers of those people who have used the seNice during 2023124,
Outreach contacts on the streets- 21,840
Food parcels- 27,500
Drop in meals- 24,200
People who used our services benefited from the People's Kitchen in several ways includingi
Securing suitable accommodation for those at risk of street sleeping through an outreach
programme who also have the training to admlnister lifesaving medical treatment to those on
the street.
Provision of a drop-in servlce for those at risk of homelessness and poverty to access advice and
support that they require.
Alleviating poverty through the provision of food, clothing and welfare advice with a view of
assisting the individual out of poverty and ensuring they have access to the appropriate services.
Liaising with the Belfast Trust and addiction services to sign post and refer those at risk of
substance misuse and self-harm into support
Improving the live5 of those who use our service to assist to a more independent and heatthier
Ilfe.
Helping individuals 5UStain theirtenancy and providing a multi-agency approach to ensure those
who use our service receive tailored support to meet their needs.
Identifying those at risk of homelessness and povertyto prevent them from reaching a crisis
situation and reducing the stress of those individuals. Benefits from the above purposes are
measured over time by the census, other regional houslng and economic statistics, research,
studies and suNeys along with regular and long-term measures of health and wellbeing
measuring health equity and Inequalities and government publications showing government
tar8ets.
All volunteers have the professional tralnlng provided by People's Kitchen and our volunteers
benefit those who are homeless. Families in need, Asylum Seekers/Refugees, those experiencing
poor health and addiction issues, Ex-offenders and prisoners, Ethnic Minorities,
Unemployed/low income. Young People. Older People, Virtim Support Isolated and lonely,
People with physical and learning disabilities and experiencing mental health problems.
Our team of volunteers have been working extremely hard over the past number of years to support
those in need and we couldn't do this without support from the public and businesses such as
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRusfEES REPORT (convd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Hendersons, PRM and those who continue to donate financially or give their time to support the
project.
PUBLIC BENEFIT sTATEmE￿r
The Board of the People's Kitchen Belfast confirm that they have had due regard for the guidan
produced on public benefit by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. and are pleased to report
that during the year the char¥ty has continued to provide public benefrts through the
programmes and service5 we offer. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will
contribute to the aims and objectives they have set out.
Public Benefits:
Benefits from the Peoples Kitchen Belfast include,
Securing suitable accommodatlon for those at risk of street sleeping through an outreach
programme who also have the training to administer life saving medical treatment to those on
the street.
Provision of a drop in Service for those at risk of homelessne55 and poverty to access advice and
support that they require.
Elevating poverty through the provision of food, clothing and welfare advice with a view of
assisting the individual out of poverty and ensuring they have aC￿sS to the appropriate services.
Liaising with the Belfast Trust and addittion services to sign post and referthose at risk of
sUbstsn￿ misuse and self harm into support.
Improve the lives of those who use our service to assist to a live a more independent and
healthier life.
Helplng individuals sustain their tenancy and providing a multi agency approach to ensure those
who use our service receive tallored support to meet their needs.
Identsfy those at rlsk of homelessness and poverty to prevent them from reaching a crisis
situation and reduclng the stress of those individuals.
Benefits from the above purposes are measured over time by the censu5, Other regional housing and
economic statistics, research, studies and surveys along with regular and long term measures of health
and wellbeing measuring health equity and inequalitieg and government publications showing
government tsrgets.
In providing medical treatment for those using our services there is unattended risk forthe
administration of Naloxone however this is rare and the benefits outweigh the harm.
All volunteer5 have the professional training Peoples Kitchen Benefits are provided to those,who are
homeless, Families in need, Asylum Seekers/Refugees,
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRusfEES REPORT (conyd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Those experiencing poar health and addiction issues, Ex-offenders and prisoners, Ethnic Minorities,
Unemployed/low income, Young People, Older People, Victim Support, Isolated and lonely. People with
physical and learning disabilities, Mental health There Is no private benefit from this is more than
incidental.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The charity, s incoming recourse for the year amounted to £166,946 (2023: £241,116). Principal sources
of funding are from grants and donations. The outgoing expenditure for the year amounted to £203,910
{2023 £170,106) The net out8oin8s for the year amounted to £36,96412023: incoming £71.010).
The Charity is extremely grateful to all it5 donors. without whose support People's Kitchen Belfast would
not be able to Tun a number of its artivitie5.
GOING CONCERN
The activitie5 of the trustees are dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. The Trustees
are of the opinion that the trustees has sufficient reSoUr￿S at the date of approval of these financial
statement5 to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and
subject to the continuing support from members to fund on an ongoing basis the trustee's current
activities and other financial commitments.
RESERVES POLICY
The Trustees have established a policy whereby the unrestrlcted funds not committed or invested in
tsngible fixed assets ('the free reserves,) held by the charity taking into account of current and ongoing
commitments. It 15 the policy of the Trustees to hold between two and six month's normal expenditure
this equate to between £31.459 and £94,377. At the year-end unrestricted 'fTee' reserves were £80,694
and are within the target level of reseNes. The Trustees, however, consider it prudent to hold reserves
at this level as the funding of its present activities is dependent of the ongoing financial support of its
funders.
RESPONSIBIUTIES IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL sfATEMENTS
The trustee5 are responslble for preparing the Trustees, Report and the financial statements in
accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally
Accepted Accounting Practice).
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year whlch give a
true and fair view of the state of affair5 of the charity and ofthe incoming resources and application of
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAsr
TRUSTEES REPORT (convd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
resources, including the Income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing these
financial statements, the trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the method5 and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS102)'
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material
departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements. and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume
that the charity will continue to operate.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accountlng records that disclose with reasonable
accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial
statements comply wtth the Charities Act (Northern Irelandl 2008 and Charities Act (Northern Ireland)
2013 and Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern I￿land) 2015. They are also
responsible for safeguarding the a55ets of the charity and hence fortaking reasonable steps for the
prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information
included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the
preparatlon and dissemination of financial statements may differ from leglslation in other jurisdiction5.
RISK REVIEW
A review of major risks has been undertaken by the Trustees and systems and procedures implemented
to manage identified risks. The prlncipal risks are in relation to the likelihood of reputational damage
and financial risks a550ciated with the expectation of ongoing financial supportfrom fundeTS. These
risks are mitigated by the Trustees regularly monitoringthe various activitie5 of the charity at stated
meetings and by reviewing avallable funding streams.
FURTURE PLANS
As we move into 2024125 we hope to continue to develop the projett and work on a 10 year strategic
plan looking at the long term future to ensure the sustainability and to ensure we are meeting the needs
of those who need our support. We are very thankful to all those who have 5UPPOrt their support as we
couldn't do it without your help and support
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PEOPLE'S KITCHEN BELFAST
TRUSTEES REPORT {conYd)
Year ended 31 March 2024
Dlsdosure of Information to Independent Examiner
So far as each of the trustees in office at the date of approval of these financial statements is aware".
there is no ￿leVant information of which the chariws independent examiner is unaware; and
they have tsken all the steps that they oughtto have taken as trustees in order to make
themselves aware of any relevant information for the Independent examination and to establish
tE7at the charitf s independent examiner is aware of that information.
Independent Examlner
Hopper & Co., have indicated their willingness to remaln in office and a resolution for their re-election
will be prop05ed atthe forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
Approved by the trustees at a meeting on 14 December 2024 and stgnod on its behalf by:
Mr P Mccusker
Chalrperson & Trustee
Mr5 L Duffy
,Se£retary & Trustee
131 Dage