Fat Macy's
Helping Londoners experiencing homelessness out of hostels and into their own homes.
Fat Macy’s is the catering company cooking up a better future for long-term hostel residents and other young people living in temporary accommodation.
London accommodation is pricey. That even includes homeless hostels, which have lots of overheads to keep them running. Add to this cuts to housing benefit when you start working and it becomes near impossible for residents to save enough for a deposit to move on.
It’s this problem Fat Macy’s was set up to solve. They recruit trainees from London hostels for a unique 200-hour training programme. During this time, trainees learn catering and hospitality skills and apply those skills in Fat Macy’s kitchen, restaurant and at pop-up events.
Fat Macy’s profits go towards a housing deposit fund. Trainees can apply for grants from this pot to help with securing their own place, whether that’s a deposit, getting the right identification or buying work clothes.
Most of this is taken care of by the Fat Macy’s Foundation, the charity arm of the biz. They organise the in-hostel training, arrange tailored support for each trainee and manage the grants.
Shop Fat Macy’s delicious baked goods to help them keep people experiencing homelessness on this pathway from hostel to home. If you’re in London, you can swing by the Ebury restaurant and look out for their supper club events too.
Meet The Founder
Before founding Fat Macy’s, Meg Doherty was working at a North London hostel where she heard about the so-called benefit trap from residents time and again.
She also saw how a Caribbean cooking class engaged and brought together residents. So she began arranging more sessions in the hostel kitchen.
Inspired by this, Meg launched Fat Macy’s in 2016, offering trainees a real sustainable chance to save for a deposit through getting in the kitchen. In the first year alone they hosted over sixty events and fed over a thousand people.
Founded By
Meg Doherty