A volunteer called Ali is getting ready to serve silver foil trays of chicken and rice to a queue of more than 80 hungry men and women in a Birmingham side street.
A thin older lady, teeth missing, is near the front. I mention that I've just left the Conservative Party conference, a few hundred yards away at the ICC centre in Centenary Square, writes the political editor of Birmingham Live. "I used to vote Tory, imagine that - never again," she says, laughing. There's a good natured boo from further back.
Coming across this gathering is a jolting shock after emerging minutes earlier from the bubble of the party conference, where delegates can barely move for free finger food at fringe events and drinks receptions. It's a stark reality check.
