BELFAST Charitable Society has helped donate over £47,000 to the People’s Kitchen at their annual Benn Dinner.

The Benn Dinner, one of the longest standing charitable events in Belfast, was held at Clifton House, home of Belfast Charitable Society, the city’s oldest charity. This is the 143rd year of the event, which originated in 1882 at the bequest of the philanthropist George Benn.

And in keeping with its philanthropic origins, during the proceedings the Society announced an immediate donation of £40,000 to the People’s Kitchen, a Belfast charity providing food and support for homeless people across the city. The additional £7,732 was raised through a generous contribution from the ‘Families in Philanthropy’ group, who recently met at Clifton House.

The first Benn Dinner was held in December 1882, one hundred and eight years after Belfast Charitable Society opened the doors of the Belfast Poor House, now Clifton House, on Christmas Eve 1774.

Wealthy brothers George and Edward Benn dedicated much of their life to advancing charitable causes through the Society. George died in January 1882, eight years after his brother, bequeathing the sum of £1,000 (£66,000 in today’s money) to the Society to establish the Benn Charity, which, amongst other things, would provide an annual dinner with entertainment for the elderly residents of Clifton House at Christmas.

The first dinner took place in December of that year, and has continued in one way or another through two world wars, political upheaval, and even the pandemic, with the sitting Lord Mayor of Belfast always in attendance.  

Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Tracy Kelly said: “It’s my great honour to continue the tradition of attending the annual Benn Dinner at Clifton House as First Citizen of Belfast.

"Today’s highlight of course was the Belfast Charitable Society’s incredible donation of £40,000 to The People’s Kitchen. This will make such a difference to people living rough and in our hostels over the coming months.

"I commend the humanity and generosity of these organisations and it’s my hope that others in the city will feel moved to follow their example in giving help and support to those who are most in need, especially in these cold winter months.”

Professor Alastair Adair, Chair of Belfast Charitable Society, added: “The Benn Dinner is centred around embracing philanthropy, and honouring the memory of George Benn, who even in death considered the needs of disadvantaged people.

“At a time when poverty levels in Belfast are soaring, and the number of homeless people is increasing, we felt that extending the ethos of this annual event beyond the walls of Clifton House was an apt way of honouring George Benn’s legacy this year. The People’s Kitchen is a remarkable local charity, and we are thrilled to be helping the work it does with a significant donation of £40,000.”

The overall donation of £47,732 will cover four months of emergency accommodation as well as:

  • 5,120 breakfasts provided Monday to Thursday mornings over a 16-week period
  • 7,840 daily hot meals for people living on the streets and in hostels
  • 3,200 hot meals served in the People's Kitchen drop-in centre every weekend
  • 480 warm sleeping bags for those sleeping rough

“I cannot overstate what this donation means to the People’s Kitchen and the people it helps,” said Paul McCusker, the charity’s founder and project manager.

“We are a small community charity that relies entirely on support from local people and organisations, and this extremely generous donation from Belfast Charitable Society will be a lifeline over Christmas, and through the rest of the winter.

"We can safely say that people who might otherwise have gone hungry will now be fed.”