The doors of Brompton Oratory may still be closed for services, but inside the church’s St Joseph’s Hall, the residents of SW3 have been hard at work.
A team of 48 volunteers have been packing donated clothes and basic necessities to deliver to the hundreds of rough sleepers rehoused by Westminster City Council. More than 35,000 items have been donated so far.
Voluntary organisation the Companions of the Order of Malta — which was running three weekly soup kitchens across the capital before the Covid crisis hit — is behind the initiative, called the Help the Homeless Brompton Project. One recipient said: “When I saw that Order of Malta cross on the side of the bags, I knew that although we could not go to the soup kitchens, they were still looking after us. It made me feel like my family still cared about me.”
