Fat Macy's - we need your help!

We're crowdfunding! Please join us and help us do something amazing

Our story so far....

Back in 2016, we started life as a pop-up supper club – a first of its kind in London, offering training and support to people living in hostels.

This year, we’re crowdfunding to grow and scale our impact, and we need your help! 

....And here's what we do

Fat Macy’s is an innovative and impactful charity based in London,  supporting people experiencing homelessness to move on from temporary accommodation and into long-term stable housing and employment. 

Homelessness is a complex issue, which comes in different forms. In addition to those who are street homeless, a shocking 60,000 are living in temporary accommodation in London alone. Those living in temporary accommodation get caught in a long-term cycle of unemployment, poverty and poor well-being.

What's next?

We want to increase our capacity to be able to take on more trainees, which will in turn increase the sustainability of our charity. We already place trainees in our restaurant, but we want to add even more trainee hours at our catering events too.

We've been growing the catering and wholesale part of our social enterprise since 2021, and now feel we can operate at scale across London, while supporting even more people living in temporary accommodation. 

How you can help? Either donate, choose from the rewards or run a fundraising supper club with your friends!

To get involved with the Big Supper Club

In a nod to our roots, we’re asking you to try your hand at hosting a dinner party to raise money for us. It’s The Fat Macy's Big Supper Club.

It’s simple: Grab your friends, host a supper club and ask your guests to donate to our crowdfunding page, with a goal of £250.

What you cook is up to you, so feel free to get creative. Don’t worry if you’re stuck for ideas, we’ll be sharing plenty of recipes created by the chefs at Sohaila, wine and cocktail pairing ideas, hosting tips and playlists.

Where you host your supper club and how many people you invite is also up to you – throw an intimate dinner or make it a party. Or forget supper entirely and host a lunch for the folks at work.

Match funding

The good people at Aviva will match-fund each individual donation, up to £250, meaning Fat Macy’s receives double whatever you raise.

We’ll send you a QR code to print out so that your guests can donate on the spot from their phone (after you’ve wowed them with your main course).

You can be rewarded too!

To say a big thank you, we’re offering everyone who takes part in the supper clubs and their guests 10% off food items at their next visit to Sohaila. Plus, for these fundraising goals, based on what you raise you can collect the corresponding reward listed on this page! 

And here's why we need it

This additional scale will allow us to reach people in more areas of London, and ensure we meet the growing needs of those experiencing homelessness in London.  

Alongside the employability support and 1:1 training, we provide access to financial advice and housing advice for those who have faced homelessness, alongside travel costs for those joining our programme. We have a group of mentors who provide 1:1 professional support so our trainees can find sustainable employment. 

The detail

Our charity works with small numbers of people in transformational ways, by providing hospitality and employability training, 1:1 tailored emotional and practical support (around well-being, employment and housing) as well as access to housing deposits for those living in temporary accommodation. This ensures that the people we support can end the cycle of homelessness for good, and move into more stable accommodation and employment, with ongoing support.  

Our trainees volunteer their time in our sister social enterprise restaurant, Sohaila, as part of our 200-hour work experience programme, where they gain valuable work skills and experience, and build their confidence alongside our professional chefs and front-of-house teams. By volunteering with us, trainees don’t have their benefits cut and the Sohaila business profits are used to create a housing deposit scheme for each trainee to save securely for their future homes. 

Our tailored Support Curriculum works with trainees on key areas that they have identified. Our support continues for up to two years after a trainee has moved into their own home and after the 200-hour programme, trainees can apply for a housing deposit (created from restaurant profits). Our model is proven to work - since starting in 2016, 8 people have moved out of temporary accommodation into stable long-term homes, with 95% still there 1-3 years later. At the end of the programme trainees on average report a 17% increase in employability, well-being and housing, with the most progress being reported in employment.