The People Kitchen

Name

The People Kitchen

Legal name

The People's Kitchen Ltd

Website

https://peopleskitchen.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable social services / homelessness and food poverty support

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Meals, Nutrition & Congregate Dining Day Programs (HSABANAM)

Keywords

• Homeless support services
• Community meal charity
• Volunteer-run nonprofit
• Food poverty relief
• Welfare outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary donations from individuals through JustGiving platform, text donations (KITCHEN to 70490), cheques, and Amazon Wishlist purchases. The 'Feed a Friend for a Fiver' campaign encourages £5 donations. No government funding is received.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Financial support from businesses through direct donations, sponsorship of vehicles and events, Kitchen Champions ambassador programme, payroll giving, and professional expertise donations. Companies like Lumo and Womble Bond Dickinson have established formal partnerships.
3. In-Kind Donations (Food & Supplies): 75% of annual food supplies donated through Harvest Festival collections from schools, religious groups, and community organisations. Additional supplies come from local businesses and supermarkets. Clothing, toiletries, and sleeping bags also received as in-kind donations.
4. Legacy Giving: Individuals can leave a gift to The People's Kitchen in their Will to support the charity's future work.
5. Fundraising Events: Community fundraising activities including Great North Run participants, charity challenges, and corporate events. Fundraisers have raised significant amounts including £10,000 from a group of 30 Great North Run participants.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The People's Kitchen is a Newcastle-based registered charity that provides free daily hot meals (250–350 meals per day, 365 days a year), clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags and welfare support to homeless and vulnerable individuals at its Alison Centre. It supplements direct aid with the 'Your Future' holistic programme, signposting Friends to professional services for mental health, addiction and housing support, and runs community programmes such as the Corner Shop food parcels and pet-support events.

Product overview

The People Kitchen is a charitable organization (founded 1985, Charity number 1036149) providing food, friendship, and support services to homeless and vulnerable people in Newcastle. The organization operates as a volunteer-run charity with no government funding, offering services through its core programs: daily meal services (250+ meals/day, 365 days/year) at the Alison Centre, the Your Future holistic support program connecting Friends with professional services, and various volunteer engagement and donation programs. Their support network includes partnerships with charities, businesses, schools, religious groups, and individuals. Key initiatives include the Feed a Friend for a Fiver campaign, professional services signposting, clothing and toiletries provision, and the Kitchen Champions business ambassador program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food & Friendship Services Daily walk-in service providing 250-350 hot meals 365 days a year, plus clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags, hot showers and welfare support to homeless and vulnerable individuals at the Alison Centre.
• Your Future Programme Holistic support programme that connects Friends with professional services for mental health, addiction and health support through partners including Newcastle City Council, Changing Lives, NHS and Crisis Skyline.
• Feed a Friend for a Fiver Campaign Annual Christmas fundraising campaign inviting donors to contribute £5 to provide hot meals for vulnerable people, with text-to-donate (KITCHEN to 70490) and JustGiving donation routes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350 meals served daily, 365 days a year (approximately 55,000 annually)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Womble Bond DickinsoncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024International law firm selected The People's Kitchen as Newcastle office's chosen charity. Employees dedicate two days annually to volunteering, with one day each month specifically for Kitchen volunteering. Team assists with stocking shelves, food preparation, donation drives. Donated over 350 Easter eggs and £2,500 worth of sleeping bags and mats. Organising static cycle challenge to raise funds.
• Lumo (FirstGroup)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2021New 100% electric rail service selected The People's Kitchen as its official charity partner. Lumo helped fundraise and spread awareness, with Managing Director Martijn Gilbert visiting facilities. The partnership included a pop-up performance by Tom Walker on the inaugural London King's Cross to Edinburgh service to raise awareness.
• Newcastle City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner that works with The People's Kitchen to support vulnerable individuals. The Kitchen is regarded as an effective place to reach people not engaging with mainstream council services.
• Changing LivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional partner in the Your Future programme providing services to help friends move towards independent living. Part of the network of professional partners signposting vulnerable individuals.
• NHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner working with The People's Kitchen to provide health support and access to medical services for vulnerable individuals. Vaccine bus hosted at Kitchen facilities during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Crisis SkylinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency providing additional support services to homeless individuals through the Your Future programme and professional partner network.
• Fire & DoughminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPizza van business that donated over 1,000 pizzas when LooseFest was cancelled due to rain. Co-owners Ross Keady and John Nicholson provided freshly made pizzas for Kitchen friends.
• Atkinson Dental PracticeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNewcastle dental practice whose team (Lauren Mullan, Phillip Hannon, Rachel Davison) distributed toothpaste, toothbrushes, and dental advice to Friends. Featured in ChronicleLive coverage.
• Street PawsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganisation providing free, accessible vet care and support services to homeless people and their pets. Visits The People's Kitchen on the 1st Wednesday of every month to support street dogs and their owners.
• Lindisfarne (Ray Laidlaw and Billy Mitchell)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFormer members of the North East band Lindisfarne performed a benefit gig for The People's Kitchen as part of their 50th anniversary 'Fog on the Tyne' tour. Helped switch on Christmas lights at annual party.
• Vicky PattisonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTV and radio personality and North East native who has championed The People's Kitchen. Helped distribute advent gifts at special evening for Friends with dogs and promoted the Feed a Friend for a Fiver campaign.
• Birtley Athletics ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAthletics club undertaking 136-mile relay from York to Birtley passing through Newcastle to raise funds for The People's Kitchen. Fundraising page established on JustGiving.
• 300+ Schools, Religious Groups and Community OrganisationscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of over 300 schools, churches, and community groups that provide food donations during Harvest Festival time. 75% of annual food supplies come from these partners during harvest collections. Also involved in sponsorship, fundraising events, and educational talks.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Crisis UK: UK national charity dedicated to ending homelessness, with whom The People's Kitchen has a formal partner relationship (Crisis Skyline). Comparable in serving the same beneficiary population and increasingly overlapping in holistic support services.
• St Mungo's: UK charity providing housing, health, and recovery support for people experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable in serving the same population with combined food, welfare, and rehousing-pathway services.
• Centrepoint: UK charity supporting homeless and vulnerably housed young people with accommodation, health, and personal development services. Comparable holistic support model and referral-driven service design.
• Changing Lives: North East England charity (formal partner of The People's Kitchen) supporting people facing homelessness, addiction, and recovery. Overlapping beneficiary base and referral flows, with similar holistic support orientation.
• Mustard Tree: Manchester-based charity providing food, clothing, and support to people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and disadvantage. Closest comparable in operating model — community-driven, charity-run, food-plus-support services.
• Whitechapel Mission: London-based charity serving homeless and vulnerable people with meals, clothing, training, and welfare support. Closely comparable service mix (meals + clothing + welfare calls) and walk-in model.

Broad incumbents

• Shelter (UK): UK national housing and homelessness charity. Comparable in target beneficiaries (homeless and vulnerably housed individuals) and advocacy/holistic support, though Shelter operates at much greater scale and is housing-policy focused.
• Emmaus UK: UK federation supporting formerly homeless people through residential communities and social enterprise. Comparable in mission philosophy of accompaniment and pathways out of homelessness, though operating model centres on residential communities.
• The Trussell Trust: National UK foodbank network operating a similar model of community food provision for people in crisis. Most directly comparable in mission (emergency food for vulnerable people) but operates at far greater scale through a franchise of independent foodbanks.

Emerging players

• The Bread and Butter Thing: UK community food redistribution charity tackling food poverty through affordable member-based food sharing. Comparable in leveraging community infrastructure to address food insecurity, though distribution model differs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/pknewcastle
• Facebookfacebook.com/PKnewcastle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-people%27s-kitchen-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/peoples.kitchen.newcastle/?hl=en-gb

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The People Kitchen