A number of taxi drivers in Belfast have donated their Christmas tips to help a local charity through the cost of living crisis.
The idea started when Uber driver Jim Heaney wanted to go a good deed over the festive season. He saw local charity The People's Kitchen had issued an appeal and decided to do what he could to help.
Jim got a few other drivers on board and they each put a sign in their cars, to let passengers know they would be donating a portion of their tips to help the charity.
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The People's Kitchen began life in 2017 as St Patrick's Soup Kitchen. It was started by SDLP Councillor Paul McCusker – a long-time advocate for the homeless.
Now based at 1 Antrim Road, The People's Kitchen doesn't just help the city's homeless, but those who are living in poverty, with these numbers growing due to the cost of living crisis.
Over the space of December, three drivers were able to raise £600 to help the charity.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Jim said he was inspired to start up the appeal after seeing the impact of homelessness. He said: "I work early mornings and tend to sit around Dublin Road and Botanic Avenue, where a lot of homeless people would be living.
"I see it everyday, and am always very conscious of wanting to do more to help. Sometimes if I'm going in to Greggs for a coffee, I'll buy something for whoever I can see sitting outside.
"But I always want to do more. I came up with this idea of donation a portion of tips, and mentioned it to some of the guys.
"We got printed signs saying we were giving 50% of the tips gained in the month of December to The People's Kitchen, but I then increased that to 75%. I found I was getting more tips than normal.
"We work through Uber primarily, so there's generally very little cash tips, it's usually through the app. But I was finding more people were giving cash tips to make sure to donate to the charity.
"I don't think I lost out financially, I don't think I lost out on anything. As it was successful, I thought if I could carry this on it'll make a worthwhile contribution to the situation, and if we get more guys on board it can make a difference."
Stopping by The People's Kitchen's hub on the Antrim Road, Jim and driver Oliver were able to see the work done there first-hand and were able to hand over their donation in person.
They have now said they will be keeping the appeal going in their taxis, and will be encouraging other drivers to get involved.
"Coming here today and seeing the work they do, and speaking to the people involved, it brings it home and encourages us to keep going with it indefinitely," Oliver said.
"We did it over December as a Christmas drive, but people are getting it hard in January as well as any other month, as it's hard for people to meet their basic needs due to how tough things are.
"People were coming into the taxi and maybe were asking about the People's Kitchen as they didn't know what they did, or people knew of them and were sharing their stories with us. I like to do more when I can, but this gave me the push to really do something about it."
You can find out more about the People's Kitchen by clicking here.
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