“It started with a hippy…” said Shaz Khan as I spooned (yummy) kidney bean and chickpea stew into my mouth. I was standing with Shaz and volunteer Gurpreet Channa outside the Church car park on St. Mary’s Row, surrounded by other people tucking into their stew and doughnuts.

“I asked him whether the community would respond to this project, and he thought it was a good idea so here I am”. The project is known as ‘Local Community Kindness in a Bowl’, and was put together and executed by Shaz and anyone else who wants to help. Shaz described to me what the project involves:

“I have been giving out free food to anyone who wants to try it or needs it in Moseley for nine months now. This is done once a week on a Tuesday between 6pm and usually 8-9pm. I started initially, thanks to the Rev. Jeremy, at the Church on St. Mary’s Row. Now I am next to the Church on a scrap of land, Jeremy fully supports what I do, and I have two councillors who also support what I do, not to mention the support from local businesses.”

Judging from the amount of people who turned up, it seems that Shaz has a lot of support for his simple yet significant act of charity. In front of me eating and chatting was an eclectic mix of people: the homeless, city workers and commuters, art graduates and anyone who just happen to pass by. Gurpreet Channa, who has been helping out for the past two weeks, told me that it was a great way to get people in the community talking, which is why the project started in the first place.

Shaz has lived in Moseley all his life and remembered a time when the Moseley community was more open and connected. But over the past few years, with the opening of bars, restaurants and the flow of new residents, Shaz has seen a decline in community spirit: “The way to keep a place alive is to be open. I want to show that there is another side to Moseley rather than condemning people”. And so far it seems to be working; residents are mingling and there is even more dialogue between the police and the homeless.

Shaz is always there, even when the low temperatures hit: “I have done an average of 52 servings on a Tuesday and when it is one degree or below I do about 26 servings.

"We never ask for donations. Sometimes locals just drop a pack of cakes or a box of not too expensive chocolates as a treat for the local community. It’s kind of a seasonal kindness thing, for example, old jumpers get dropped off in the winter, and perhaps, old T-shirts or footwear in the summer.

What Shaz wants now is to address the many requests he has had from the locals who would want to perhaps offer an hour or two of their time. This way it would be local and it would let everyone know what’s going on in the area. The help doesn’t have to involve any cooking, just dishing out the food or bringing along any treats. Shaz then told me about how some of the homeless turn up with small injuries and how a First Aid kit would be most welcomed.

After spending a short while with Shaz I was in awe of what he does, and kicked myself for not knowing about this earlier; perhaps a prime example of how disconnected people are in Moseley. The image of community I’ve always had was how my family lived in Spain and Cyprus: always in contact with their neighbours and always knowing what’s happening in the area. I have found it hard to make this connection in any of the places I have lived in the UK. But after seeing Shaz in action, I now want to be part of this project. I hope to see and get to know many of you on Tuesdays over a bowl of hot food.

For more info, please go to http://feed4thought.org