Emmaus is a charity that gives back.

In Emmaus, solidarity means working to help someone less fortunate than yourself.

This can be very valuable for Emmaus companions as it is often key to helping to rebuild self-esteem, proving that everyone has the capacity to make a difference to the lives of others.

Our most well-known solidarity activity was our soup run, which we did every Wednesday evening in Gloucester city centre. This became a companion-led activity, with the team distributing hot and cold food, sleeping bags, coats and essential items to people sleeping rough or living in temporary accommodation. During the pandemic, we had to adapt the way we offer this support and found that working with local organisations to distribute items meant that we could reach those most in need. Whilst we no longer do our weekly soup run, we do still require items to distribute to people sleeping rough, through our partner organisations. If you would like to support us by donating items, please visit our Backpack Appeal page.