As the year draws to a close and festive preparations begin, most of us will be meeting with family and friends in a warm, bright home, enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal.
The estimated 1,614 people experiencing homelessness in Nottingham, however, will have a very different experience. As temperatures plummet and access to shelter remains difficult to find, a warm meal can make a real difference.
This is why four volunteers from ENSEK have decided to join the staff at Emmanuel House for a day, cooking a hearty meal for the service users at the centre. James Kirk, Massimo Russo, Aimee Viliga and Robin Cooper have joined forces to prepare and serve a three-course meal of pasta with bolognese sauce, baked potatoes and apple crumble with custard.
“It was a great experience which I’m sure has enriched all of us,” said Massimo. “It was a great opportunity to help a charity that does amazing work for some of the most vulnerable people in our local community.”
“It was great to spend a day working together,” added Robin. “We’re such a big business now that it’s really unlikely that we’ll be all in one place at the same time.”
“We’d like to think that we left the place better than we found it,” continued James. “While Mass and I perfected the bolognese, Aimee embraced her love of cleanliness and Robin used his attention to detail to improve the stock organisation.”
All agree that they would not hesitate to repeat this enriching experience, which is fully in line with the objectives of the ENSEK’s Community Investment programme – designed to help employees take part in social value activities.
“Community investment is a pillar of ENSEK’s ESG approach,” said CEO Jon Slade. “We are proud of employees’ efforts to make a positive impact on our local community, and aim to support them by providing Volunteering Days and partnering with organisations who share our values and mission.”
You can find out more about Emmanuel House’s volunteering opportunities here.
1. https://www.emmanuelhouse.org.uk/nottingham-homelessness-data/
