ST JOHN'S SOUP KITCHEN AND FOOD BANK

Registered charity 1203125 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Provision of emergency food supplies and hot meals to the residents of the London Borough of Hackney and surrounding boroughs.

Objects

THE RELIEF OF POVERTY IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF HACKNEY AND THE SURROUNDING BOROUGHS FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY THE PROVISION ON A NON-REFERRAL BASIS OF HOT MEALS AND FOOD, HYGIENE AND HOUSEHOLD PROVISIONS, EMERGENCY CLOTHING AND MICRO-GRANTS FOR EMERGENCY LIVING EXPENSES AND BY OFFERING SIGNPOSTING, ADVICE AND SUPPORT ASSISTANCE.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Hackney, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£52k

Latest spending

£67k

Registered

2023

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The charity reported free reserves of £31,275, which is slightly below its stated policy target of approximately six months' routine expenditure (£33,000). Total receipts for the year were £52,157, primarily from grants and donations, while total charitable expenditure amounted to £67,273, resulting in a net decrease in cash reserves. The trustees intend to monitor expenditure and seek additional funding to restore reserves to the target level.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £31k; policy: approximately 6 months’ routine general fund expenditure, plus committed future expenditure on other projects, where funds permit)

“The charity held free reserves slightly below its six-month reserves target of £33,000” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustees gave donations to the charity

“The Trustees gave a total of £510 (2024: £280) to the charity during the year.” — page 10

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 179

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 150
Government income: £65,331 — grants £65,331 (1); 43% of the £150,285 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 130

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — St John’s Soup Kitchen and Food Bank (matched by registered charity number).

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Trustees · trustee networks

Rev Stephen Isaac Raphael Hearnchair
Calum Douglas Docherty
Dr EMILY JANE LUCY FINCH · trustee of 2 other charities
Dr Nicola Susan Byrne · trustee of 1 other charity
Katharine Nina Szamuely
Krishan Ryan Neelendra
Siu Man Alison Wong

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Hackney

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£52k	£67k
31/12/2024	£150k	£114k
31/12/2023	£20k	£33k

Common questions

Is ST JOHN'S SOUP KITCHEN AND FOOD BANK financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The charity reported free reserves of £31,275, which is slightly below its stated policy target of approximately six months' routine expenditure (£33,000). Total receipts for the year were £52,157, primarily from grants and donations, while total charitable expenditure amounted to £67,273, resulting in a net decrease in cash reserves. The trustees intend to monitor expenditure and seek additional funding to restore reserves to the target level. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds ST JOHN'S SOUP KITCHEN AND FOOD BANK?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ST JOHN'S SOUP KITCHEN AND FOOD BANK as a grant recipient include LONDON CATALYST.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
LONDON CATALYST	FY2025	£2k	Hardship grant.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	23/02/2024	£20k	Soup Kitchen & Food Bank

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
SSP FOUNDATION	2	£2k
THE E H SMITH CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£58k
CHILTERN CHURCH	1	£22k
HACKNEY PAROCHIAL CHARITIES	1	£20k
WEST HACKNEY PAROCHIAL CHARITY	1	£15k
THE REED FOUNDATION	1	£15k
EVERYDAY CHURCH	1	£15k
THE PARISH OF SAINT PAUL'S HOWELL HILL WITH SAINT BARNABAS EPSOM	1	£9k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ST JOHN'S HOUSING TRUST.

ST JOHN'S HOUSING TRUST income £37k
THE HACKNEY FOODBANK income £1.6m
SOUTHEND FOODBANK income £265k
SOUTHPORT SOUP KITCHEN income £44k
SHERBORNE FOOD BANK income £53k
BISHOP'S STORTFORD FOOD BANK income £98k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ST JOHN'S SOUP KITCHEN AND FOOD BANK	£52k	—	—	below	—	no doubt
ST JOHN'S HOUSING TRUST FY2025	£37k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE HACKNEY FOODBANK FY2026	£1.6m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
SOUTHEND FOODBANK FY2025	£265k	—	0	within	—	no doubt
SOUTHPORT SOUP KITCHEN FY2025	£44k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SHERBORNE FOOD BANK FY2025	£53k	—	0	above	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.