Magenta Living tenants give hope to the hungry
Magenta Living tenants Stefanie and Chris Parsons, run ‘Hope for the Hungry’ – a weekly feeding station located outside Birkenhead Town Hall.
‘Hope for the Hungry’ provide food, clothing, shoes, hygiene products and sleeping bags to homeless people in Wirral. They currently have a team of around 30 volunteers who go out every Thursday and Saturday night to help as many people as they can. They are currently feeding around 320 people each week.
Stefanie Parsons, founder of Hope for the Hungry said: “It started off in our home at Christmas in 2016 when (like most do) we had far too much food cooked and it was about to go in the bin, when our six year old son told us off for throwing away food when there are hungry people living on the streets.
“We packaged up our leftover food, got in the car and drove around Birkenhead town centre on Boxing Night looking for people in need. To our shock, we found more people than we had containers of food. This was when we realised that more needed to be done.”
‘Hope for the Hungry’ was originally funded entirely by Stefanie and Chris but they have since received backing from a number of generous organisations such as Walkers Crisps, Greggs the Bakers, Tesco, Fareshare and a local biscuit factory as well as the food donated by many volunteers.
Each person who turns up at Hamilton Square will get a selection of five or six hot meals to choose from and a choice of hot or cold drinks. As well as this, they give out takeaway bags containing food such as sandwiches, salad, biscuits, crisps and a drink.
Stefanie added: “It’s not just homeless people we cater for; it’s anyone who needs a hot meal or even just some company. We aren’t going to change the world, but if we can brighten someone’s day, then it’s all been worthwhile.”
Magenta Living currently provide resources for the team at Bidston Rise Community House including a kitchen and plenty of storage. As they continue to grow, Stefanie and Chris along with volunteers, Dee Sferrazza, Paul Birkinhead, Mandy and Eddie Fellows and Gary Johnson are hoping for a larger building which they can fully operate from and eventually, they hope to have space for people in need to eat inside and are also hoping to increase their meals to 4 times a week.
Adam Woodcock, Community Resource Co-ordinator at Magenta Living said: “’Hope for the Hungry’ is a great concept that Magenta Living is proud to support. Stefanie and Chris, along with other volunteers, are doing fantastic work in their local community and it’s great to see how dedicated they are to this cause.”
To find out more about ‘Hope for the Hungry’ you can contact Stefanie directly on 07708775456 or at hopeforthehungry@outlook.com.
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