About Christian Kitchen
"We aim to provide a balanced three-course meal every day, one course being hot, and a drink of water”
How we do it
Our established process is far more involved than just cooking and sharing the meals.
We work with a network of other charities and food banks to swop our donated ingredients.
This ensures we can plan, cook and distribute balanced meals, using a mix of fresh, dried and preserved foods, with one course being hot and to include a drink of water.
We cook in the kitchen at: St Michael and All Angels Church, 1A Northcote Road, Walthamstow, London, E17 7DT
Average meals issued per day:
Our history
Christian Kitchen began in the mid-1990s when founder Maureen Rhodes, moved by the sight of a man sleeping in a garage, started leaving him home-cooked meals.
Discovering how many others in her community were in need, she gathered support from her church and the YMCA to begin what became Christian Kitchen.
Today there are 25 diverse faith and other organisations, and many individual volunteers from the wider community who all work together to serve hot meals on the streets of Walthamstow every night (the YMCA is no longer involved).
In the early 2010s, Norman Coe led our transition to formal charitable status, completing in 2012. He has made an outstanding contribution to Christian Kitchen, helping many homeless people over the years. In 2025 Norman received the BEM (British Empire Medel) for services to the homeless in Waltham Forest.
Our kitchen is based at St Michael and All Angels Church, 1A Northcote Road, Walthamstow, E17 7DT.
We receive no government funding and rely on the generosity of local churches, schools, small businesses, and individuals, alongside recent Community Fund support.
Core partnerships and donors
We are incredibly proud to have received a Community Fund donations in 2024, meaning we can deliver a bigger better service.
Christian Kitchen only exists because of the close relationships we have built with food banks, food donations centres, volunteers and donors.
Since Maureen Rhodes shared her first cooked meal in the 1990’s, we now have a rota of 25 teams who take turns cooking each day. Our volunteers come from faith and non-faith backgrounds, plus many individual volunteers from the wider community.
This core structure, alongside the vital donations from businesses and individuals enables us to keep sharing hot meals to those in need, in Walthamstow, London.
Thank you to all involved.
Angel Oak Hospitality
Blackhorse Road Baptist Church, Walthamstow
Broadmead Baptist Church, Woodford
The Businessmen
The Church of England, Diocese of Chelmsford
Cornerstone Church, Leytonstone
Fountain Gate Chapel, Tottenham
House of El-Shaddai International, Enfield
Janet and Husband
Living Word Church, Leyton
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Melchisedec Spiritualist Baptist Church, Walthamstow
Ministry of Restoration International Pentecostal Church, Walthamstow
Nationwide Bank
Nick Wells
Our Lady & St George, Walthamstow
Our Lady of the Rosary and St Patrick, Walthamstow
St Mary’s Church (SAINT), Leyton
The Redeemed Christian Church of God