Warm hearts New venue launches by feeding homeless
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We would like to give the love and support back to the community by feeding as many homeless people in Bristol as possible
Sujith D’almeida
HOMELESSNESS is a tragedy at any time of the year, but when winter is in full swing it really hits home.
Eating decent meals is vital for our health but as we all know, food can be a scarce commodity for people without a home and in the colder months a lack of proper nourishment can be especially damaging.
So a new restaurant which is launching next week is going to change that for a day by feeding as many of the city’s rough sleepers as possible.
The Urban Masala, run by the same people behind the multi-award winning Urban Tandoor and Urban Kohinoor, is opening on Tuesday, next to the Tandoor on Small Street.
And its owner Sujith D’almeida has pledged to serve free food to the people who need it most on Thursday, between noon and 4pm, before the restaurant opens to the public.
He said: “Coming to the UK as an immigrant from India and climbing up the ladder of success, we have gone through a lot of testing times which any newcomer coming to a new continent would go through.
“But today we are proud of our brand which includes Urban Tandoor, Urban Kohinoor and soon Urban Masala.
“We would now like to give the love and support back to the community by feeding as many homeless people in Bristol as possible, to tie in with the opening of our new venture Urban Masala.
“We’re not going to have a flashy launch to mark the opening of the Masala, we just want to give back to the community which has supported us so much by feeding those who need it most.
“Over the next week we want to hear from any charities and people as possible who would like to get involved.”
Food will be kept in takeaway containers which charities can come and collect from the restaurant to distribute around the city, or homeless people can collect it from the restaurant themselves.
In March this year data revealed that there had been a 14 per cent increase in the number of people sleeping on the streets in Bristol since 2016, but that figure only represented “the tip of the iceberg”.
» Anyone who wants to get involved on the day can call the Urban Tandoor restaurant on 01179 299222.