Only A Pavement Away, the industry charity aiding prison leavers, veterans and those facing homelessness find employment in the hospitality sector, has evolved its Fill a Flask Summer campaign for 2023. The initiative is being sponsored by Caterer.com, and will see hospitality operators volunteering and donating 1000 reusable thermal flasks with Only a Pavement Away branding to local homeless charities, who can pass them onto those who need them most. Over the last 4 years, 3000 flasks have been given out across 5 UK cities to people sleeping rough, that is 3000 pathways to a more purposeful future.

The campaign is set to run across key cities including London, Brighton, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Edinburgh, and will see local operators providing support to those in need in various ways, these may include; volunteering in charity Food or Job Clubs, helping to sort through donations and supporting staff at a drop in centres or soup kitchens. It is hoped that by having teams volunteering it will help to increase awareness of the services that Only A Pavement Away can provide, as well as their own hospitality businesses, so more people can find the right employment for them and get their life back on track.

Set to be an invaluable opportunity to make real change across the industry, there is still time get involved and join the fantastic teams already signed up, including; Speciality Brands, Greene King, Zonal, The Ivy, Sisban, Mandarin Oriental, The Athenaeum, Strand Palace Hotel, Asahi and Cave Hotels.

Working with these charities and increasing Only A Pavement Away’s presence within non-profit organisations is vital to actively providing recruitment opportunities for those facing homelessness, as support workers act as the referral point between the individual in need and Only A Pavement Away. The more charities that are signed up as an Only A Pavement Away referral partner, the more people they can help secure employment.

With the cost-of-living crisis, benefit freezes and the end of Covid-19 eviction bans, more people than ever are being forced to live in temporary accommodation or sleep on the street; there has never been a more important time to act. This July & August , operators who volunteer will get a real insight into the challenges that people are facing, and why Only A Pavement Away is trying to help. Operators can then go a step further and select Only A Pavement Away as their charity of choice and donate a small percentage from each dish or drink to the charity. Or simply promote the campaign by sharing it on socials!

Greg Mangham said: “we have seen a 6% increase in households facing homelessness in the last year alone, this is an unsettling figure. At Only A Pavement Away, we have the tools to be able to help prevent this 6% from materialising, but we need the hospitality industry to come together and ensure everyone is aware of the services we can provide, this is the campaign to do just that”.

Since the charity’s founding, 5 years ago, Only A Pavement Away has placed over 370 members into roles in the hospitality sector and aims to dramatically ramp up over the next 5 years, with the target of placing 5,000 people into meaningful employment over this timeframe, campaigns such as Fill a Flask will help to make this vision a reality.

To take part in Fill a Flask or enquire about becoming an Only A Pavement Away Charity Partner please email Karen Wallin Head of Marketing & Fundraising karenwallin@onlyapavementaway.co.uk