I will never forget the first time I visited the Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen.

It was December 2019, frost was forming on the pavements and I stopped outside the Emmanuel Free Church in Hendon in almighty shock.

The doors were closed and outside was a large, winding line of people of all ages, shapes and sizes waiting for a hot meal.

“This can’t be real,” I thought, looking at the large number of people standing in the cold, waiting to be fed. But it was real. As real as it sounds – people who, for whatever reason, needed a boost in life and some food.

There’s something incredibly sad about seeing people waiting for a hot meal. Immediately you start to wonder how and why these people are so unlucky that they have to wait for food from a stranger. But it soon became clear that there was nothing sad about it. In fact, quite the opposite.

Andrea and her team at Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen do an incredibly good job of removing the stigma from the service they provide. People should not – and are not – ashamed to ask for help. There are no questions, no invasion. If you want something to eat, SCSK is here to provide it.

I spoke with several people in the queue and learned more about their stories. I met a few homeless guys, big Sunderland fans, who were living in tents at Mowbray Park because the local authority didn’t have space for them. They were jovial and optimistic, happy to talk about their football team.

I met a young couple with a baby, aged 16 or 17 at most, who had come by bus from South Shields so they could eat. Thank God for the Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen, because without it these people would not be able to survive. The most basic thing – food – is a luxury for many.

I immediately fell in love with Andrea and his team. Andrea is the most infectious person I have ever met – a living saint. We have formed an unbreakable bond over the last five years and I will always be grateful to her for doing what she does for the people of Wearside. The fact that we’ve raised over a quarter of a million pounds in this time is incredible, but it’s great to know that it’s all going to the right place, to people who will make sure every penny is spent the right way.

For as long as I have the privilege of running this news outlet, I will ensure that we do our part to make their lives easier. With this platform, we can shine a light on his brilliant cause and ensure that through Roker Reportthere is an awareness of SCSK and how donations actually help.

It’s not a huge organization. This is not a national charity with a huge payroll, huge rents to pay, well-paid CEOs and a giant PR team. This is a small but focused local cause which will only continue to exist if the people of Sunderland support it.

But don’t take it for granted.

Because they are small and focused, every penny raised through fundraising goes directly to keeping the charity running. It funds high-quality meals served each week to those in need.

Without significant financial support, the Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen must be self-sufficient. This year, they unfortunately had to close their warehouse because the operating costs were unsustainable.

The association is diversifying. In 2025, it is planned to open up various sources of income to ensure short-term and long-term survival.

Unfortunately, there will always be a need for the Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen and similar organisations. Homelessness and poverty in the UK are not getting better, they are getting worse.

The cost of living is soaring, outpacing wage increases, meaning demand for food in Sunderland is increasing. Alarmingly, more employed people are now relying on food banks and hot meal services, a trend that shows no signs of improving.

As costs skyrocket for all of us, they also skyrocket for the soup kitchen – energy bills, rents and fresh produce prices. These challenges will not go away.

That’s why I say we should never take Sunderland’s community soup kitchen for granted. Without the support of the local population, they simply cannot exist. And imagine if that didn’t exist, so many lives would be negatively affected.

That’s why we do it. That’s why, every year, we ask you to do your part.

Every nickel, ten, every twenty pounds makes a huge difference to someone’s life.

Please, if you can, support this year’s campaign. Support Andrea and her wonderful team. Let’s do our part to ensure they can continue in 2025.

We just have to do it.