Soup Kitchen London Recreates Real Christmas Dinners Eaten by People Experiencing Homelessness

‘Homeless Christmas Dinners’ is an emotive photography series featuring 10 beautiful but solemn and harrowing still-life photos which reflect the make-shift meals homeless people eat at Christmas time.

The photography serves as a marked reminder that the sumptuous Christmas dinners advertised aren’t a reality for the hundreds of thousands of homeless people in the UK. The imagery has been captured to raise awareness and donations for the Soup Kitchen, a London-based charity dedicated to supporting people in need.

All of the meals are based on real-life experiences, garnered from conversations with regulars at Soup Kitchen London. Meals that have been photographed include Kamag (42), who had a Christmas dinner consisting of ketchup pasta that was cooked in a hostel from long-life food donations. Paul (56), spent Christmas Day lying in hospital with a punctured lung, due to street violence, and could only eat ice cream. Wassa, (56) had a tin of baked beans that he ate cold with a supermarket wooden fork.

The campaign was created by Tad Buxton and India Penny of Wonderhood Studios and shot by food photographer Lizzie Mayson. It launches in the lead-up to the Soup Kitchen’s annual Christmas meal event taking place on Saturday 16th December. At the event, meals are provided for over 300 vulnerable people in London, along with presents and entertainment. This will be the closest many people come to having a proper Christmas dinner. A donation of just £5 will give one person a seat at the table.

The photo series is hosted online at homelesschristmasdinners.com and calls on visitors to buy someone in need a proper meal this Christmas by donating a dinner for £5. Three hero shots are launching as press ads this week, featuring in the Guardian food supplement ‘Feast’, YOU magazine, and The Telegraph.

Tad Buxton and India Penny, creatives at Wonderhood Studios, said, “We wanted to create emotive images that contrast with the extravagant food imagery usually associated with Christmas. At a time when ads and the media are showing idealised tables of food, with imagery of families sitting around to eat, it felt right to remind people that this isn’t the reality for the 271,000 people experiencing homelessness.”

Alex Brown, director of the Soup Kitchen London said,“Christmas is an especially difficult time of year for those in society that are less fortunate. Our commitment at the Soup Kitchen is centred around aiding those with the greatest need. We believe that every person, regardless of their circumstances, deserves a nourishing meal every day of the year and this sentiment is especially crucial during the festive period.

The photos demonstrate that not everyone has the luxury of the classic Christmas roast and put the realities of homelessness and those in vulnerable positions in clear contrast to what we commonly associate with Christmas. We hope they will inspire people to do what they can to support those in need this year.”

Lizzie Mayson, photographer, said, “This campaign really makes you stop and think. Contributing to potentially changing a homeless person's Christmas Day experience and what the difference of having a delicious Christmas lunch might feel like for many vulnerable people felt so meaningful for me. I'm honoured to have been a part of it.”

Media buying was handled by Bountiful Cow and consumer PR was handled by Mischief.

To view the ‘Homeless Christmas Dinners’ photo series please visit here. 

To find out more about the work the Soup Kitchen does, and how you can volunteer, donate, or get involved, visit the website here.  

Mei, regular at the Soup Kitchens said, “Winter is very hard. It’s so cold: I very often get pneumonia. And I’ve had to go hungry sometimes when I can’t find food.” 

Ali, regular at the Soup Kitchen said, “The Soup Kitchen really helped me, it’s a lifeline. If the government could do more to support these places it would be nice because they do such a great job.” 

Kevin, regular at the Soup Kitchen (talking about the festive meal) said “There’s obviously a good chef [at the Soup Kitchen] and they do everything they can to make it feel Christmassy.”