A Birmingham community kitchen is fighting food poverty in the city, one hot meal at a time. Adam and his partner, Jo Mooney, from Kings Heath, are the founders of the Kings Heath Community Kitchen, a free service dedicated to providing food, warmth, and a community environment to those who need it most.
Growing Demand for Free Meals
Speaking to BirminghamLive, Adam, 42, shared that the centre, which opens every second and fourth Sunday of the month for a hot meal, originally launched in October 2025. Since then, the need for the free service has surged.
"We started off initially as an outreach for people who were rough sleeping or in HMOs. But it's slowly switched now to a 50/50 split between low-income families or individuals living alone and rough sleepers," he said.
On June 14, the most recent session held from 2:30 PM to 5 PM, a total of 73 people attended the New Life Baptist Church in Kings Heath. This was the highest number of attendees the group has seen, a huge jump from the first session in October 2025, which saw around 23 people. On average, the kitchen now hosts 55 to 60 visitors each time.
Services Offered
Visitors receive a free hot meal, which varies weekly, as well as access to free clothing, haircuts, and hygiene kits. All items are secured through donations from local businesses, fundraisers, and monetary donations, with volunteers running the kitchen.
Adam noted that attendees often include those living alone or working families on low incomes, including those in part-time or full-time work struggling against the cost-of-living crisis.
"The cost of living is a massive reason people are needing to use community kitchens. We spoke to someone yesterday on a zero-hours contract. A few weeks ago, he had no hours, couldn't pay his rent, then couldn't buy food. He ended up using food banks. He couldn't even go to the supermarket with what little money he had," Adam said.
One Missed Paycheck Away
Adam added: "Most people now are one missed paycheck away from having to use the food bank or a service like ours. We speak to a lot of CICs and charities around Birmingham, and they're all in very similar situations. The people coming in are working people still having to access such services."
Reflecting on the increase in service users over the past eight months, Adam said it is distressing to see so many new faces. "We used to have a group of 25 to 30 regulars every week. Now, it's groups of new people each week, and they're still coming."
Personal Connection
For Adam, the service hits close to home. "I've had to use services like this. I was homeless myself for a while, a drug addict, and I've had to use these services because I had absolutely nothing. Even then, just under five years ago, the services were really overstretched. Now, five years on, the situation is getting no better with the cost of living. It is really distressing and sad to see."
Message to Those in Need
Adam issued a message to anyone in Birmingham who may need help: "Don't be afraid to ask for help. One of the worst things I ever did was be too afraid to ask. The moment I did, it was overwhelming how many people were willing to help. You're met in a non-judgmental way by all the helpers, because chances are the people serving you have been the ones asking for help before. So don't be afraid to ask—because the help is there."
