East Belfast Mission

At East Belfast Mission, the current SE programmes are:Charity Shops & Mission Cafe. Our social aims are also achieved by selling second-hand, good quality and affordable furniture to local people who perhaps, could otherwise not afford it. As a social enterprise we aim to fulfil the “triple bottom line”. This means we want to achieve social, financial and environmental goals within the community we are located. Socially, we provide placement and volunteering opportunities in the community. We teach new skills to long term unemployed, help folk to regain lost confidence and help others to simply socialise and meet new friends. Depending on the SE project they are assigned to, tasks for volunteers will vary and include: All income from the shops is regenerated into the projects of the organisation. This is how we achieve our financial goals. The projects include the meals on wheels service which is organised from the Mission Café. Meals are delivered 5 days per week to approximately 40 people who may be housebound ill or elderly and would otherwise not have a hot meal during the day. Environmental issues are also at the top of our agenda. re:store has a close partnership with local councils, working with them to remove good quality bulky waste items and selling them in our shops. We are encouraging clothes recycling and have introduced several banks at other Methodist Church premises and at our main building and our Larne shop. This not only helps the recycling agenda but also increases the shops income. We work in partnership with other charities such as Bryson House who offer guaranteed reconditioned white goods, which are then sold in our shops. We deliver hot nutritious meals each day to the housebound who would otherwise be without a substantial meal. This service has grown dramatically in recent years and has experienced demand from agencies involved in the care of the elderly and the disabled, and is a lifeline to the many elderly who live on their own. Our Meals on Wheels service is conducted by staff and volunteers who can sometimes be the only visitors an individual may have in the course of the week.