Care Van : Edinburgh City Mission

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Care Van

Providing hot food & drink to those experiencing homelessness, 5 afternoons and 7 evenings a week in Edinburgh City Centre.

The Care Van is an essential source of support for those who are homeless or vulnerable in the City of Edinburgh. Relying on volunteers, it goes out almost every day of the year providing soup, food, hot drinks, blankets and clothes, friendship, encouragement and support to up to 60 people a night.

Edinburgh City Mission co-ordinates ~40 volunteer teams that are drawn from local churches across the Lothians and includes over 250 volunteers.

In 2024, over 13,379 meals were served by the Care Van on the streets of Edinburgh.

Care Van Times and Locations

The Care Van operates every evening and lunchtimes on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. The lunchtime Care Van is run by teams of individuals, whilst the evening Care Van is run by local church teams.

Lunchtimes

Please contact Bethany Christian Trust with enquiries about the lunchtime Care Van.

12:30 – Market Street

13:00 – King’s Stables Road

13:20 – Grassmarket

14:00 – Tesco, Easter Road (leaving no earlier than 14:15)

Contact Bethany Christian Trust

Evenings

21:00 – Waverley Bridge

21:50 – King’s Stables Road

22:00 – Grassmarket

22:30 – High Street / North Bridge

“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”

James 2:14-17 (MSG)

The Care Van is a recipient of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Described as the MBE equivalent for volunteers, it is the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK. The award recognises outstanding service by local volunteers who contribute to their communities and seek to make life better for those around them.

Thanks to the dedication of over 600 volunteers, the Care Van provides essential support on the streets of Edinburgh, racking up more than 11,000 visits a year. A team goes out every evening and five lunchtimes weekly to serve hot drinks, soup and snacks to people facing homelessness. Volunteers are on hand to offer assistance as well as distributing blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothes during harsh weather.

Founded in 1990, the Care Van is run as a partnership between Bethany Christian Trust and Edinburgh City Mission, and supported by volunteers from Edinburgh and Lothian Churches. It provides a vital point of contact for people needing urgent support, as well as offering the simple kindness of a smile and hot cup of tea. James Milligan, our Care Van Manager explains:

“The Care Van is an all year round service that provides anyone struggling on the streets of Edinburgh with hot drinks, food and clothing. It’s a lifesaver, a first contact. Over 600 volunteers not only provide signposting to other vital services but are also able to build a community of help and trust, combatting exclusion and isolation. We are so grateful to all the volunteers that make it possible.”

The Care Van team are thrilled that the hard work of their volunteers has received such recognition. Later this year we will receive the award crystal and certificate from the Lord Provost, and in July 2023 two Care Van volunteers will be invited to a garden party at Holyroodhouse to celebrate the achievement.

Read our joint press release with Bethany Christian Trust

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An Open Hand Referral Application

This form may be used by support workers and other professionals to apply for gifts for families in Edinburgh from An Open Hand (we cannot accept self-referrals).

Our aim is to help the families that need it most. We would be grateful if you could ensure that families fall into an area of need listed below before applying. We won’t be able to accept applications out with the below criteria.

Criteria for application:

Families (both parents/carers) who are facing severe hardship because of job loss or benefit delays/interruptions and have no other means (e.g. savings) of helping their child celebrate their birthday
Families who have no recourse to public funds
Families facing unexpected bills/costs/debt repayments around the time of their child’s birthday which prevent them from buying their child a present.

We are keen to help as many families as we can through this project, whilst still ensuring that each individual child feels treasured and receives a gift they will delight in. We will evaluate the funding for each gift on a case by case basis according to the financial needs of the family, the age of the child and the funding available. A general rule of thumb is that we anticipate most gifts along with the family bag to be in the region of up to £45.

Please ensure this application is submitted at least two weeks before the first child’s birthday to ensure there is sufficient time to deliver to the family.

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