A man has found an innovative new use for the government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme, having encouraged people to donate meals to his table at a local Wetherspoon pub, which he then distributed to homeless people.
Dom Dietrich, a freelancer from Manchester, was enjoying the government's dining out discount when he had a brainwave.
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"It was when Eat Out to Help Out came out originally," Dom told LADbible.
"We went out for a meal, just me and a few friends, and we were eating this three-course dinner for like £4-£5 and I was just sat there thinking, one: I don't really need it, and two: surely this could help other people who actually need it."
Inspired to use the scheme to help others, Dom went and parked himself at The Waterhouse, a Wetherspoon pub in central Manchester, and put a message out on social media telling people what he was up to.
"Can you send just food?" he wrote, urging people to use the Wetherspoon app remotely to order food to his table.
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"I'm trying something out to help people."
It didn't take long for the meals to roll in, which was when Dom put his plan into action, carefully placing the food into plastic containers he'd brought with him before leaving to see if anyone nearby was in need of a hot meal.
Dom said: "To do it with the Wetherspoon's app concept was quite a fun sort of - a way of doing it that I've not seen before.
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"Since living in Manchester I've noticed a real issue with homelessness, and it makes me feel incredibly guilty when you're walking from Piccadilly Station through Piccadilly Gardens and you can't help.
"Obviously you think of doing stuff like this all the time, but to actually get out and do it, it felt amazing. I'm so happy I've done it."
Dom continued: "We probably did six of seven [meals], so not a huge amount at all, but those six or seven meals and the six or seven people they were feeding - it gets them through the night.
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"It also gave me a chance to actually speak with these people and learn about their stories, and actually get to know them for the people they are."
After footage of his plan in action was shared online, garnering more than 4,000 likes on Twitter, many people have got in touch with Dom to praise what he did.
But Dom reckons the basic premise behind the idea can be replicated elsewhere, whether people choose to follow suit with the Wetherspoon app or decide to donate the money they save from an Eat Out to Help Out meal to a good cause.
He said: "I understand people have been through incredible struggle, but these guys don't have anywhere to go, they don't have a roof over their head, it's heartbreaking.
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"Homelessness is terrifying, it's heartbreaking and you can never see yourself ending up in that situation, but the reality is it can happen to anyone.
"If people wanna get involved they should - actions speak louder than words."
If you do want to try something similar, remember to ensure whatever food or containers you pass on to others are appropriately sanitised.
LADbible has contacted JD Wetherspoon for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Dom Dietrich
Topics: Food, Daily Ladness, Community, Homelessness