What does a life of service actually look like? 🍲🤝

We go inside The Manna Society 🏠, a day centre near London Bridge and reportedly the oldest in Southwark. We sit down with Paddy Boyle, who has been there since 1986. Every day, Manna supports around 120 people who are homeless or in need, with six services under one roof: food, showers, clothing, housing and welfare advice, medical care, and access to computers.

Paddy grew up in Ireland 🇮🇪 and trained for the priesthood for five years with the Columban Fathers, a missionary order built on an “option for the poor.” When he left in ‘86, he walked into Manna wanting to work with people who needed it most. Forty years later, he still looks forward to Monday mornings. ✨

We cover:

🙏 Faith, purpose, and a relationship with God that “ebbs and flows”🏠 What it takes to run six services for 120 people a day🎄 The former rough sleeper from Belfast who received a £10 note at Manna’s Christmas dinner, and years later came back with £4,000 to give every guest £20💷 Why finance matters, and the simplest ways listeners can help🥫 The partners keeping Manna open: Southwark Council, The Fishmongers’ Company, FareShare, M&S and local churches, StreetSmart 📰 Why you shouldn’t let the news skew your view of the world, because most people are good💪 Resilience on the streets, and why every journey out of homelessness is different🌱 Life as a gift, and committing yourself to something that does good

💛 Support The Manna Society

🌐 Website: https://mannasociety.org.uk💷 Donate money: https://mannasociety.org.uk/support-us/donate-money/🥫 Donate food & clothing (see the most-needed items list): https://mannasociety.org.uk/support-us/donate-items/🙋 Volunteer in the kitchen or IT: https://mannasociety.org.uk/support-us/volunteer-for-us/

🙏 A huge thank you to StreetSmart

StreetSmart helps people experiencing homelessness across the UK by uniting the hospitality industry behind a simple idea. 🍽️When you eat at a participating restaurant, £1 is added to your bill, and 100% of it goes to local homeless charities.It costs the restaurants nothing, and its SleepSmart scheme now lets hotel guests give the same way. 🛏️Through trusted partners nationwide, that money turns into shelter, support, and a path to a brighter future.

Special thanks to Kimberley Coke, StreetSmart’s Head of Comms, for arranging this interview. ❤️

🌐 https://www.streetsmart.org.uk💷 Donate: https://justgiving.com/charity/streetsmart

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Mentions: The Manna Society · StreetSmart · Kimberley Coke · Columban Fathers · St Vincent de Paul (SVP) · London Borough of Southwark · The Fishmongers’ Company · FareShare · Marks & Spencer · Peckham · Belfast