Social Bite is a social enterprise which is close to our hearts and we have worked with them a lot over the past few years. Every day of the week they hand out packs of free food to the homeless and to people in need. When they approached us to see if we could donate some food for this worthy cause we could hardly bring ourselves to say no! We spoke to Amanda from Social Bite and asked her to elaborate on the outsanding work done by this award winning social enterprise.
1.Tell us about how it all started at Social Bite.
Social Bite began life as a small sandwich and coffee shop on Rose Street in Edinburgh in August 2012. Founders Josh Littlejohn MBE and Alice Thompson opened the shop with any profits going to good causes, but it was an encounter with Pete—a young man experiencing homelessness selling the Big Issue outside—that truly set our mission in motion. When Pete asked for a job, Josh and Alice employed him on the spot, discovering first-hand the transformative power of supportive employment. Since then, Social Bite has grown into a national charity and social enterprise. We provide free food to anyone who needs it from our coffee shops in Scotland and London and run a supported employment programme called Jobs First. More than 100 people with a background of homelessness have worked with Social Bite and our partners through Jobs First. We also run a village in Edinburgh, providing a supportive living environment and opportunities for people affected by homelessness, to assist them towards establishing an independent life.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about what will be done with the food donation provided by Greencity?
All food donated by Greencity is integrated into our free-food services, ensuring it reaches people experiencing homelessness and food poverty. In our network of coffee shops—including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London—customers can buy meals and drinks for someone in need. Pay It Forward donations help power our daily takeaway services and weekly sit-in “Social Suppers.” We believe food is a tool for engagement, and for some people a hot drink is the first step to forming a trusting relationship that could change their life. We distribute over 183,000 items of free food and hot drinks each year directly through our shops.
3. What other interesting things are going on at Social Bite?
• Scaling Social Bite Villages: Having launched our first community village in Edinburgh in May 2018, we’re now in working on building two new villages outside Glasgow and Dundee, providing safe, supported accommodation alongside wrap-around services and community.
• Jobs First programme: We’re continuously expanding our flagship employment initiative, working with major UK employers to place people with lived experience of homelessness into meaningful jobs, backed by dedicated support.
4.Tell us a bit more about any other things you do to support the people of Glasgow.
• Social Bite Glasgow (10 Sauchiehall St): Opened April 2023, this flagship café offers the same Pay it Forward scheme and free takeaway breakfast (8–9:30 am) and afternoon scran (5–6 pm), plus weekly sit-in Mixed Supper (Wednesdays, 4:45–5:45 pm) and Women’s Supper (Wednesdays, 6:15–7 pm) at no cost to guests.
• Glasgow Women’s Supper: We run a sit-down meal and activities each week for women in Glasgow. Research shows that women face complex issues when their living situations deteriorate and homelessness services can sometimes be inaccessible because they’re triggering. That’s why we offer a secure, safe space for women to access food as well as support from our dedicated Development and Support Worker.
• Festival of Kindness: Our annual December fundraiser engages local communities—including Glasgow businesses and schools—to provide meals and essential items throughout winter.
5. Is there anything members of the public can do to help support your organisation?
Absolutely!
We can all play a part in ending homelessness:
• Visit and Pay it Forward: Pop in and purchase an extra coffee or meal for someone in need.
• Donate: Make a one-off gift or become a regular donor to fund long-term solutions like the Social Bite Villages and Jobs First: social-bite.co.uk/donate-today
• Volunteer: Give your time at our coffee shops.
• Fundraise: Organise challenges or community events in support of ending homelessness.
• Partner with us: Businesses can join our Jobs First employer network or support Festival of Kindness.
• Spread the word: Follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter to amplify our message.
6.If you could invite 6 people, living or dead, to one of your community meals who would you invite and why?
Our free food services are open to everyone. It may not be as exciting as a list of big names or celebrities,
but we would invite anyone who needs a hot meal, housing support, or a hug.
Thanks to Amanda for providing the photos and answering our questions!
You can find out more about Social Bite instagram @socialbite_food
