The team from Aztec Hotel & Spa joined forces with local Bristol charity Street Life on Saturday 14th September to serve a delicious meal to the homeless community in the city.
This marked the seventh time the hotel has worked with the charity since 2017 and the third time they have provided the food as well as serving the meals.
The hotel’s kitchen team prepared 180 portions of a hearty beef stew and mashed potatoes followed by a choice of either profiteroles or fresh fruit salad. While the chefs moved on to prepare dishes for the hotel’s restaurant, The Curious Kitchen, seven members of staff from across the hotel headed out with other Street Life volunteers to serve the meals to the community.
For over 20 years, Street Life has been providing hot meals, drinks, soup, cold meal packs and clothing on the streets of Bristol. Operated by City Church, the weekly community project recognises the importance of helping those in the city who do not have the same access to facilities as others. Members of the local community, businesses and schools support the charity by volunteering their Saturday evening.
The beef stew was a welcomed new dish for the charity and was incredibly well received. One recipient said: “This is the best meal I’ve ever had.”
Gareth Ireland, general manager of the Aztec Hotel & Spa, said:
“Our aim when we started working with Street Life was to build an ongoing relationship with them. They provide such an invaluable service to the city and we are honoured to be able to assist in any way we can. The team all love being involved and giving something back to help such a worthy cause. We are looking forward to being able to work with Street Life for many years to come.”
Richard Townsend, from Street Life, said:
“You could see our ‘guests’ were amazed by the quality of the meal provided by the Aztec team and yet again, it will be a hard act to follow. I love how the team fitted perfectly in with the charity’s culture of serving with generosity and compassion. This creates a peaceful atmosphere where many guests feel safe and begin to open up. I don’t think we can fully understand the impact the Aztec team’s help makes to such needy people.”
This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 21). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
