Ollie to set up a new soup kitchen in Tuam — 120 years after the last one

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN TUAM hasnâ€â„¢t seen a soup kitchen since the late 19th century but one is about to open, more than 120 years later. Ollie Williams, a native of Clogherboy who lives in Athenry, set up his first Twist soup kitchen in Galway last year and is currently searching for a suitable premises for a kitchen in Tuam. He will open a charity shop on Circular Road next Monday and hopes to offer teas and coffees there until the eatery is up and running. The Galway kitchen close to the Docks feeds about 85 people a day and Ollie has opened similar facilities in Athlone, Roscommon and Sligo. He has plans for other soup kitchens around the country. â€Å“Weâ€â„¢ve had calls from the Tuam area asking us to set up a service in the town. I think thereâ€â„¢s a need for something like this in every large town. It offers people something to eat and the kitchens have very much become part of the communities,â€Â he explained.[private] The Twist charity shop will be run by Ollieâ€â„¢s niece, Aubra Kenny from Abbeyknockmoy. It will begin accepting donations next Monday, February 18 and is located at the former Preloved charity shop close to the Post Office. Ollie says he wouldnâ€â„¢t be able to operate the kitchens without the generosity of local businesses and receives free bread, fruit and vegetables as well as meat from shops and bakeries in the area. â€Å“We provide a free meal, such as a stew or lamb casserole, to anyone who asks for it. There are no questions asked,â€Â says Ollie. He says more businesses are getting involved and each project is becoming community-driven. The reaction to the initiative has been very positive and Ollie says people are offering to volunteer and others donate food. â€Å“Itâ€â„¢s a sign of the times. Thereâ€â„¢s a new poor and people donâ€â„¢t see anything improving anytime soon,â€Â added Ollie. Ollie describes his former career as a helicopter pilot as â€Å“crashing with the property crashâ€Â. The soup kitchen concept came from Ollieâ€â„¢s brief experience of something similar during his time in England. â€Å“I went to the UK when I was 15. I found myself on the streets of London in need of food and a place to stay. I availed of a similar outlet for a time and I never forgot it. Fortunately I found my feet and became a helicopter pilot, but Iâ€â„¢ve suffered too from the current downturn. â€Å“Iâ€â„¢ve been a giver all my life and this was something that felt natural and I was happy to be able to do. Weâ€â„¢re 100 per cent voluntary and donâ€â„¢t receive any public funding,â€Â he told The Herald. A location for the Tuam Twist soup kitchen hasnâ€â„¢t been identified but Ollie is keen to find a premises that wouldnâ€â„¢t require going through the planning process, which he says can be costly and delay things. â€Å“We are currently looking for volunteers to help out with the charity shop and kitchen and people can drop in to the shop when it opens. Weâ€â„¢re getting the keys on Monday.â€Â[/private]