My First Month with Reach Out


My name is Alison (Ally to my friends) I started as Project Manager with ROC, a month ago. What a month it has been! I thought I would write this to introduce myself to you and also give you a little insight into how my first month has been. 

I  have been in the homeless sector for 10 years, working on various projects with a number of organisations (as both volunteer and staff member) including the winter night shelters, a community food project and also managing a drop-in centre. The experience I have gained has been invaluable and has brought me to Reach Out.  I have worked alongside Steph and Becky for the past six years and have always admired their passion and commitment to the homeless community.  I have a deep passion for the work I do and for the people we are here to serve. I want to bring this passion to Reach Out and I am excited about our future.        

So how has my first month gone?

I have been working in partnership with ROC since the start of the lockdown in March. It has been confirmed that we will be there until March 2021, providing 3 meals a day to rough sleepers that have been accommodated by both Manchester  and Trafford Councils. I am so proud of our achievements to date.

Over 75,000 meals provided to hotels accommodating rough sleepers, plus over 5000 food parcels to vulnerable families.

We have worked alongside Chefs from Gorilla, A Taste of Honey M20 and Albert’s Schloss, who came in to prepare our delicious home cooked meals. All our meals have been very well received and enjoyed by the hotels’ guests.

We have seen so many great news stories coming through from the hotels about the amazing work they have been doing. The hotels are providing a wrap-around support, to allow the guests to engage with mental health services, substance support and recovery workers. The work that has taken place, has shown great results and the start of a new life for many of the guests. 

Come and grab a bargain at our shop!

I have spent some time working in our shop at 488 Wilbraham Road. It is a hidden gem, with lots of bargains to be found. Not only will you be greeted with a friendly welcome, you can find a variety of great things to buy and you’ll be supporting the vital work we do in South Manchester,  I have loved chatting with our customers and telling them about the work we are doing and the plans we have.

Meeting the Community of Chorlton

In my first month, I have been made to feel very welcome by the lovely customers in the shop. I have met some wonderful business owners who are excited to be able to support us with organising Fundraising events. We feel extremely honoured that in these difficult times for businesses and for individuals, that they still want to get involved and put others first.

Barakah Food Aid

I had the absolute pleasure to speak with Mansoor of Barakah Food Aid, who kindly donated 80 kilos of Lamb at Eid. The meat was an extremely welcome donation and we managed to cook hundreds of meals for the hotels. Our Muslim guests could  enjoy the treat too, because the meat was Halal. Barakah do a great job, supporting people in need and we look forward to building our working relationship with them. 

The Thirsty Korean Charity Night in Aid of ROC – Wednesday 9th September

I also had the great pleasure of meeting with Eunji from The Thirsty Korean on Manchester Road, Chorlton. They very kindly held a charity night on Wednesday 9th September. The restaurant donated 50% of their profits and the staff donated 50% of their wages on the night to our charity. We are very happy to announce that they raised a massive £321.55 to support our life-changing work.

Want to join our volunteer team? We are recruiting now!
We would love to welcome you to our fantastic team – various roles and hours available.
For more info please email: reachoutcommunity@yahoo.com