The first soup kitchen in Newcastle was set up in 1812. People needed a ticket to use it and the wealthy people who donated the money decided who got these. Anyone who didn’t have a ticket didn’t get fed. The soup kitchen was reopened on and off over the next few decades and, since then, various other organisations have been set up in Newcastle to help homeless people get food.
For anyone homeless, managing to feed yourself can be a constant problem. Food poverty doesn’t just affect homeless people but is a growing problem for other people with low or unstable income. In recent years, the rise in the number of people using foodbanks has been described as a national crisis.
We found this minute book at Tyne and Wear archives under ref. CHX3/1/2