What is Next Meal?

Next Meal was created by Martin Stone and a group of volunteers at a soup kitchen in London’s Muswell Hill. They had the idea to create a website that could direct homeless people to food and support available nearby, at any time of the day or night.

Using a phone’s GPS, the nextmeal.co.uk site identifies the user’s location and lists the nearest charities that provide food and support for the hungry and homeless. The website also gives directions to get there and sets out the different services that are available (free food, accommodation advice, etc.) as well as stating whether the service is open.

There are hundreds of centres featured on the site – soup kitchens, day centres, night shelters with day service facilities - and new centres are joining all the time. The centres are spread across the UK and there are also a few in other European cities including Dublin and Milan.

People who see homeless people begging and are concerned about their plight can now respond in a meaningful way without just giving money, and Next Meal is an invaluable tool for statutory organisations and charities working to reduce street homelessness in the UK.

Our aim is to help people who are homeless or in acutely difficult circumstances. to find a place of safety where they might receive food, compassion, and the practical support which is so often the first step to getting off the street.

List your centre

If you are a centre providing food for the homeless, please join the Next Meal network so that we can list you on the site and help people find you. Through our website and newsletter, we can share our stories and learnings, identify best practices and better support the homeless and vulnerable.

It’s completely FREE to join Next Meal.

Support us

If you’re a concerned member of the public, there are many ways to support Next Meal’s mission, including donating, volunteering or donating food.

See here for options

Next Meal is a registered charity, number 1183114.