Restaurant Heroes: Bobo Social Serves Up Free School Meals

Living in lockdown is hard for most of us, but for many local children it has signalled a deeper problem: going hungry, or hungrier, due to the lack of their school lunch boost. Enter Bobo Social.

The restaurant’s big-hearted team has provided daily school meals to help ease the struggle for local families. The workforce used these trying times to diversify and motivate themselves while giving back to Elephant Park’s beloved community, namely Surrey Square Primary School.

‘Elephant Park were working with local schools whose families were in need of help with meals’, explains the team. ‘The local community has been so welcoming, and we knew that getting free meals to kids was our way of showing our appreciation’.

All it took was a dash of hard graft and a pinch of organisation before the Bobo Social team were whipping up 50 freshly prepared hot meals per day; ‘It’s a pleasure to work with people with similar values and opinions; from our young, diverse team to Lendlease who share our ethics and direction.’

Thanks to an online ordering system, families in need can look to the team to fill rumbling stomachs with nutritious (and delicious) meals for free. And just in time. The bane of many parents’ lives is home-schooling while working, but for many families who struggle financially the situation is further aggravated by child hunger which can lead to bad behaviour and lack of concentration. In addition, studies show that many lunch-time staples provide only 1% of basic dietary needs. As a foodie-favourite, Bobo Social uses only sustainable, seasonal and ethical ingredients meaning not only do their school meals fill tummies, they provide a healthy hug to the immune systems of local kids too. Now children are happier and ready to learn. With a little lunchtime help, Bobo and the team are easing the strain a little for families at Elephant and Castle while strengthening their local pride, and pride in their own team.

Like so many businesses, Bobo Social has had to adapt to current circumstances and has shown tenacity, drive and love for the community which has made their business thrive. They explain, ‘The challenge to get Bobo and our team through this crisis is our current driving force. Having the opportunity to help others is also a motivation for us.’

With 2020 over, this new year will prove a big one for the team which hopes to spread their love of great food and positive vibes to a new location as well as getting involved in new opportunities along the way. They insist, it’s all about keeping the sense of neighbourhood and community alive, while recognising that we all need a little helping hand sometimes to push us to keep going. ‘Help comes in many forms and we all have been helped out over the years in some way. So let’s give back . . . It’s good karma.’

Everyone at Elephant Park and Lendlease celebrates the Bobo team for showing such spirit for local causes at the heart of our community.