Deliveroo funds thousands of meals for LGBTQ+ homeless community

Deliveroo and its restaurant partners have joined forces with LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity, Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), to give away free meals.

Thousands of restaurant meals will be provided to members of the LGBTQ+ community who find themselves in a homeless or vulnerable situation.

This comes following new data from AKT, which found that referrals have increased by 58% within the last three years.

The trial, which begins this month during Pride festival, will span across 10 restaurant sites in London, Brighton and Bristol at LGBTQ+ restaurants including The Athenian, Club Mexicana, Smashing Plates, Tonkotsu and Bleecker Burger.

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When a member of the community experiencing homelessness says “I’m a friend of Dorothy” before ordering, it will unlock a free main meal, as well as additional resources on how they can receive help.

The rapid delivery firm and participating restaurants will also encourage other customers to play an active part and make donations to AKT through in-restaurant posters, window stickers and QR codes.

“Deliveroo is a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community, all year round. The move towards supporting the homeless and vulnerable people comes following the shocking numbers and terribly sad situations a number of LGBTQ+ people are finding themselves in,” Deliveroo LGBTQ+ network co-lead, Lea Duchemin, said.

“Food is what we do best and helping feed people at their most vulnerable, in a supportive and safe space, and directing them towards vital information, could be a much needed lifeline.”