A DUDLEY supermarket gave a helping hand to a church’s soup kitchen, by providing all the food needed to provide Christmas dinner for homeless, lonely and vulnerable residents.

Each week since 2007 Dudley Christian Fellowship in Salop Street has run Heaven’s Kitchen, providing a three-course hot meal every Monday night and a breakfast each Saturday morning.

The soup kitchen is a vital outlet for many residents in need, with the church regularly seeing up to 50 people and whole families regularly attending for a meal.

To cope with the rising demand volunteers held a food collection at Tesco at Burnt Tree, where shoppers donated hundreds of food items for use in the kitchen.

Pastor Joe Hayes, said: “The generosity and kindness of customers was so overwhelming some volunteers were crying with joy.”

The superstore also provided all the food for free needed to give all the centre’s users a traditional turkey and all the trimmings Christmas dinner, which usually requires two sittings due to its popularity.

For more information about Heaven’s Kitchen call 01384 239222.