The Edinburgh Reporter November 2020

@EdinReporter /EdinReporter edinburghreporter theedinburghreporter.co.uk NEWS 9
Social Bite will send you a little Box of Joy
Social Bite have had to more
or less close their city centre
cafés, in Edinburgh, Glasgow and
Aberdeen, limiting how much
they can make from the sale of
sandwiches and coffees.
Looking for an alternative, they
are now starting to sell "Boxes of
Joy" by mail order.
They hope this new product -
which is a selection of brownies
in a box - will help them grow
their social enterprise and help
the people they employ as well
as those they try to assist, all
of whom have been affected by
homelessness. Around one third
of their Livingston-based kitchen
will be involved in producing and
packing the brownies.
A full 100% of the proceeds go
to Social Bite and with corporate
customers like Microsoft and
Deloittes on board, it will not be
long before they exceed their
target of 200 boxes a day. Since
everyone is working from home,
some big companies are showing
the love by sending a Box of Joy to
their employees.
A box of four brownies retails for
£12 and a box of nine for £17.99.
Gluten free and vegan options are
available
Social Bite founder Josh
Littlejohn says the brownies are
great, and he is not even a mad
chocolate fan. He told us: "Social
Bite have been affected by the
pandemic. We have more or less
closed to the public in the cities
and our big corporate catering
service has had to stop too.
"We have come up with this
absolutely beautiful chocolate
Buy a bed
Homelessness charity, Bethany
Christian Trust would like you to
think of helping them to help the
homeless this Christmas.
They ask that people consider
buying a voucher for their new
Welcome Centre set up at
Haymarket over the winter. Gift
vouchers are £21 each and will
be available to buy online until 15
January. A voucher will provide
a safe, warm place to sleep for
someone who would otherwise
sleep rough on the streets. They
brownie product which is made
in our central kitchen and posted
out to people who order them
for themselves or as a gift.
Businesses can order them for
their employees. Normally I am not
too much of a chocolate person
but these are absolutely delicious.
My job is to sell them, but they
really are the nicest tasting
chocolate brownies I have ever
had.
"One of the really special things
about the product is that they are
made in Livingston where we have
a big kitchen. This is the hub of
our activity. Like most businesses
we have been trying to minimise
redundancies. It is even more
important for us as about a third
of our workforce have struggled
with homelessness themselves.
That kitchen is the beating heart of
that social enterprise activity, and
where a lot of these guys get their
first opportunity at employment.
The brownies have been lovingly
made by our Head Chef and his
team. By buying the brownies you
not only get a delicious treat but
you also help these guys remain
on a better path, particularly at
this difficult time for the world.
"When the pandemic hit all of our
cafés closed and our traditional
business ceased to trade. What we
decided to do was repurpose our
five cafes and kitchen to provide
free food for vulnerable people.
There was a real sense that food
poverty was going to be one of
the biggest issues facing society
and that people would be tipped
over the poverty line. We have
been producing food packs, which
are basically packed lunches
would have en-suite facilities and
three meals a day, safe from the
winter weather.
The room is not the only service
provided as there is 24 hour
professional support to help
those experiencing homelessness
to move on. Bethany also offer
multi-disciplinary help. Since
1996 Bethany has provided a Care
Shelter each winter. They operated
a Care Shelter in a hotel on Princes
Street during the lockdown, which
has now been transformed into
the new Rapid Re-Accommodation
Welcome Centre which will be in
place until May 2021. The charity
Haymarket Hub to become Bethany’s Welcome Centre this winter
Josh Littejohn thinks the brownies are the best he's ever tasted
with sandwiches, crisps, juice
and snacks. We teamed up with
lots of small grassroots charities
in Scotland to get these into the
hands of the people who needed
them. This ramped up quickly and
now we have distributed over half
a million food packs. That has
been our focus and we are still
doing that every day but we want
to introduce some trading too so
that's why we are releasing the
brownies."
Social Bite was funded by
The Scottish Government and
members of the public who have
contributed on their JustGiving
page, and Josh says these food
packs have literally been a life
saver for many families.
Whether given as a gift or bought
as a treat, customers will be doing
good with every purchase of Social
Bite’s “Boxes of Joy” brownies as
100% of the proceeds will be going
will use their experience and
knowledge gained in the past few
months to create a Covid-safe
space in the Haymarket Hub Hotel.
The City of Edinburgh Council will
also help to staff the centre.
The costs will be met by national
governemnt and local authorities,
and Bethany will provide the
professional team behind it.
There is also a body of around
800 volunteers from churches
in Edinburgh and the Lothians
who provide the catering. Social
enpterprise Social Bite make up
lunches, but there is also a hot
evening meal provided.
Alasdair Bennett, Chief Executive
at Bethany Christian Trust, said:
towards the organisation’s efforts
to end homelessness in Scotland
As a social enterprise business,
Social Bite exists to achieve
social objectives and is driven by
a cause, rather than profit. It is
hoped that the new food delivery
service will help to sustain its
enterprise model and support
more people into jobs to help
break the cycle of homelessness
One in three members of Social
Bite staff have experienced
homelessness as an extreme
barrier to employment
Social Bite was launched by Josh
Littlejohn and Alice Thompson
and runs a chain of five social
enterprise cafes in Glasgow,
Edinburgh and Aberdeen, a Social
Bite Delivery business which
employs and supports people
affected by homelessness, as
well as Vesta Bar & Kitchen in
Edinburgh.
“As we approach the season of
giving, we may again think about
giving a gift that will truly make
a difference. Giving someone the
opportunity to escape the cold into
safe accommodation and receive
a hot meal, with love and support
can make all the difference.
"Your donation will provide our
team with the means to help
those most in need find a warm
and loving place to stay in an
emergency this Christmas, and
support to move on to further
accommodation. When thinking
of how you can make a difference
this year, please think of Bethany.”
www.bethanychristiantrust.com
Dedicate a
light on Rotary
Tree of Life
Every year the Currie Balerno
Rotary Club organises the Rotary
“Tree of Life” and this year is no
exception despite the coronavirus
restrictions.
They are supported by Balerno
Parish Church.
The tree stands in front of the
Balerno church and its Christmas
lights will be switched on at
the same time as the Balerno
community lights.
Local people are invited to
dedicate lights on the tree to
loved ones, to celebrate special
occasions or to give thanks for
help and support provided at this
challenging time.
In previous years the switching
on of the lights has followed a
family Advent Sunday service,
and has been followed by tea and
cakes in the church’s Mill Café.
Sadly Covid-19 restrictions make
this impossible this year.
Rotary ask for a donation of £5
for each dedicated light on the
Tree of Life and the dedications
will be recorded in the Celebration
Book, which will be displayed in
the Mill Café, and on the Rotary
Club’s website at www.cbrotary.
org
Funds raised by the Tree of
Life will go primarily to local but
also to national and international
charities. In past years the Tree of
Life has raised in excess of £1000.
They hope that this year will be
just as successful.
Keep moving
Age Scotland will use their
Youtube channel to get older
people moving in their own homes
over the winter months.
Around The House in 80 Days -
ATH80 - is a series of accessible
enjoyable exercises to be done
daily in every room in the house.
So expect to do the Bedroom
Boogie or the Bathroom Banter.
The serious edge to the project
is that people who stay at home
more can become 'deconditioned'.
To avoid a decline in physical
fitness the programme will get
people moving and help with
balance, strength and flexibility.
Age Scotland CEO, Brian Sloan,
said: “For many older people,
lockdown brought about an
abrupt end to the exercise
classes, walking sports and
outdoor activities which kept them
physically active and were also an
important opportunity to socialise.
We know that spending long
periods sitting on the couch in
front of the TV, has an adverse
impact on the physical health
of older people including loss of
mobility, stiffening of joints and
an increased risk of falls due
to stiffness and inactivity. Staying
active will not only help physical
health but also benefit overall
mental wellbeing."