Taste Café in Dingle has been operating a suspended coffee system for almost a decade and now it will help the Papercup Project offer food and hot drinks to those sleeping rough in the city

Liverpool homeless outreach group, the Papercup Project (PCP), is joining forces with a cafe in the Dingle area of the city in a ‘pay it forward’ initiative to get food and drink to people living on the streets.

Taste Café in Dingle has been operating a suspended coffee system for almost a decade, working with local organisations to distribute sandwiches and hot drinks to those in need – and PCP is its latest partner.

PCP is a volunteer group that offers outreach to homeless people across Liverpool city centre on a weekly basis.

Becky Houghton, owner of the cafe at 51 Dingle Lane, said: “When someone buys a coffee in the café over the next couple of months, another coffee or sandwich will be given directly to one of the rough sleepers on our streets.

“I’ve been out with the team and helped to give out the food our customers have enabled us to supply, and it really makes a difference.”

Michelle Langan, founder of PCP, added: “We were delighted when Becky approached us about the Taste Café suspended coffee project. Their customers are extremely generous and the café has been supplying us with food and drinks for the past few months.

“Becky is a great addition to our team, and has seen how we offer much more than just a cup of tea – offering a homeless person some food and a drink is the first step in a process of building trust and engaging someone so we can signpost and offer the right support.”