Social Bite Aberdeen Celebrates 10 Years of Changing Lives

Join us on Monday 15th September

Our Aberdeen coffee shop will celebrate a milestone birthday this month, marking 10 years of community impact and an incredible 170,000 meals served to anyone who needs it.

To express our gratitude for a decade of support from Aberdonians, we’re inviting locals to come along during shop opening hours on Monday, 15th September to join the shop’s 10th birthday party, which will be complete with a give-away, and a performance from Brimmond Primary School choir.

We’re giving away a free freshly prepared sandwich, toastie, baguette or wrap, to anyone who buys a hot or cold coffee from the Union Street shop throughout the day.

Bringing the party atmosphere, pupils from the award-winning Brimmond Primary School choir will also treat guests and passerby to a performance of Happy Birthday and Kool and the Gang’s Celebration. They’ll also bring birthday cards, which free food attendees will be given to open.

In the afternoon, people using our free food service will receive goodies from kind local businesses, including a cake from Bandit Bakery and macarons from Almondine, and a serving of classic birthday cake to round out the special day.

Jenny Williamson from Almondine, said: “We’re delighted to join in celebrating such a vital organisation in Aberdeen. Happy 10th birthday, Social Bite!”

 

Recognising a decade of impact

Over the past decade, our Aberdeen shop has served thousands of free meals to people affected by homelessness, poverty, or food insecurity. Across the UK, Social Bite distributes over 140,000 food and hot drink items each year, offering both takeaway and sit-in meals in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment.

In Aberdeen, twice-daily free food services, complemented by weekly Social Suppers, offer guests the chance to enjoy a hot meal in the company of others – in some cases the only such meal or social contact they may have that week. The shop regularly welcomes around 50 attendees to its free food services, building connections that go beyond food.

In attendance will be Cherie, a supported volunteer at the coffee shop. She said: “I was made homeless when I became schizophrenic. I’ve been coming to Social Bite for five years now and volunteering for almost 18 months. It’s gratifying and humbling to give and receive.

“I enjoy volunteering because it enables me to interact with the public. I was talking to the queue yesterday and I realised, I’m part of a community. As a volunteer, you get a solid foundation of support and you’re free to be yourself. Social Bite means the world to me.”

Paul Rodger, Social Bite Development and Support Worker, manages the free food service in Aberdeen. He reflected on the charity’s role in the city: “Social Bite has been a part of Aberdeen’s fabric now for 10 years, and that’s something I’m immensely proud of. Unfortunately, in Aberdeen, we’re facing a housing crisis and poverty continues to grow – by being here, doing what we do, we make it known that anyone who needs support can find it at our coffee shop with the help from our amazing team. It’s all about relationships – people know they can come in and access food, no questions asked, then engage in support when they’re ready to do so.

“Our free food service is a lifeline to so many people, as we can be the first point of contact for someone in crisis. Homelessness in Aberdeen is complex, it’s often hidden, with people couch surfing or staying in inappropriate housing. By building up relationships with the people who come into the shop, we can learn more about their situations and direct them to the most appropriate support through Social Bite or one of many other local charities that we work in partnership with.”

Amanda Traill, Head of Operations at Social Bite said: “The impact of the Social Bite coffee shop has been huge – since opening we’ve given out thousands of free meals, supported hundreds of people, and had eight employees with a background of homelessness. At the heart of it all is ensuring free food attendees are as important as paying customers – if not more so. I love how comfortable, welcomed and supported they feel in the shop. You see them grow – some come in and donate now.

“It’s changed the nature of the area too. The nicest part is when you see people who are passing the shop acknowledge folk in the queue for free food. That didn’t happen at the start. Now, there’s no ‘them and us’ – it’s only ‘us.’”

 

Happy birthday, Social Bite Aberdeen! Here’s to the next 10 years.