Celebrating more than 300,000 acts of kindness

A huge heartfelt thank you

On behalf of everyone at Social Bite, a huge thank you for your support for Festival of Kindness 2025. Whether you helped with fundraising, volunteering, logistical support, liking a social media post, buying a coffee in our shops or making a donation of any kind, we’re immensely grateful to you for your generosity.

This year, the movement to end homelessness reached more people than ever by providing 310,433 meals, gifts and essential items. Please read on for a snapshot of what you helped to achieve for people who are homeless and vulnerable this winter.

We couldn’t do it without you.

 

Diners at Oasis Community

 

Free food and support

More than a quarter of a million meals were provided for people experiencing homelessness and food poverty, including families and children, over Christmas 2025. This includes:

• 960 hot Christmas dinners with all the trimmings, which were hosted by  Social Bite in venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London.
• 12,873 ready-made Christmas meals and ingredient packs, prepared by our coffee shop teams and distributed to community partners for their Christmas dinner events.
• 76,121 meals provided through the winter and beyond through Social Bite’s free food programme.
• 164,904 Christmas dinners and winter meals delivered through grass-roots partners in over 300 towns, villages and boroughs across the UK.

Bobbie is the Manager at We Are With You in Dundee, one of Social Bite’s grassroots partners. He explained, “the quality of the meals was fantastic, and meant we were able to cater to more people and ensure everyone we support could enjoy a Christmas meal.

“Working with a vulnerable group, it was especially lovely to see families enjoy a meal together and enjoy the day. That meant a lot to the people we support and your kindness played a big part in making that possible.”

 

Festive celebrations at Lodging House Mission

 

Meaningful gifts

C. was a Christmas dinner guest at Social Bite Aberdeen. She told us, “When I was growing up, a highlight of the year was to get a present from the giving tree. It’s great to get something now from Social Bite – you really spoil us.”

• C’s backpack included items from the 15,000 gifts chosen from our wish list and dropped off at our city-centre Trees of Kindness by kind-hearted supporters.
• We were able to distribute an amazing 54,705 gifts and essential items to people experiencing homelessness and hardship in time for Christmas.
• 785 volunteers gave a staggering 2,073 hours of their time to accept gifts at our Trees of Kindness, sort items in our warehouse, load up vans, drive them to partners for distribution, and much more.

 

Gioia and her friend Joanne, above, volunteered at Social Bite Glasgow on Christmas Day.

Gioia shared, “volunteering with Social Bite gives me the chance to support people with dignity and kindness. Whether it’s helping serve food, offering a friendly conversation, or simply being present, I know that these moments can make a real difference. Social Bite doesn’t just provide meals; it creates a welcoming and respectful environment where everyone is treated as an individual, not just a problem to be solved. That approach is something I truly admire.

“At Christmas especially, the atmosphere is filled with compassion and teamwork. Volunteers come together from all walks of life, united by the same goal of helping others. This sense of community is inspiring and reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas.”

 

Funmi from London charity partner Zenoch picks up gifts to distribute

 

Winter accommodation & beyond

We were also able to fund emergency sheltered accommodation for people experiencing homelessness in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London over Christmas and the winter months.

Year-round support from Social Bite often starts with a meal at Christmas time. Through our housing and employment programmes, people go on to build their confidence, learn new skills and break the cycle of homelessness.

Once again, a huge thank you for sharing kindness and supporting a better tomorrow for someone this winter. Your contribution matters more than you know.