Balancing teaching maths to a lively group of sixth-formers alongside raising two daughters sounds like a demanding juggling act, but there’s no let-up when the school bell rings for big-hearted volunteer Danielle Tunnah.
Instead of heading home from her work at Eccles Sixth Form College, the 52-year-old trades the pressure of preparing pupils for GCSE resits for serving soup to homeless people in central Manchester.
“It’s had a profound effect on my life,” says Danielle, describing how a decision to volunteer made at a loose end during the Covid pandemic gave her a new sense of purpose.
As GCSE and A-level exams were cancelled and replaced by teacher-assessed grades, Danielle felt she was missing the culmination of the academic year and only a fraction of her abilities were being put to use.
The unfulfilled teacher was flicking through Facebook when a callout for volunteers from Greater Manchester charity the Myriad Foundation to deliver food parcels to those unable to leave the house caught her attention.
When lockdown restrictions lifted, and the familiar pressures of teaching returned, Danielle could have been forgiven for stepping away from her charity work. But she chose not to “turn a blind eye” to people experiencing homelessness, opting to volunteer at the charity’s mobile soup kitchen in Piccadilly Gardens.
“I am very blessed,” she said. “It does not feel like a chore; I don’t see how I could not help out. If I had issues going on with my daughters and was in a tricky relationship, then perhaps, but I have everything money can’t buy and love the beautiful characters who rely on the soup kitchen.”
Danielle oozes affection for the people who use Soup N Smiles. She speaks in colourful anecdotes about a “wise,” health-conscious older gentleman who is particular about the food he eats and sleeps in a shed.
“He’s snobby in a way you people wouldn’t expect,” she explained, laughing. “He has standards; he loves it when people donate veg, owns lots of books and refuses to sleep with a pillow we have tried to give him because he says it’s bad for the neck.
“It’s like hosting an old uncle when he comes around. I look forward to seeing beautiful souls like this and feel honoured to be in his company.”
The Wigan native previously lived in Salford, off Langworthy Road, while studying for a Higher National Diploma in Engineering. She says the number of “characters” on your doorstep makes living in the city special.
Part of that, Danielle explains, lies in the different diasporas who have put down roots in a region experiencing rapid growth and change. In addition to her GCSE cohort, adult classes have given her a chance to speak to Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians and Malaysians who have migrated to Salford in search of a better life. “Some of their algebra is insane, especially the Iranians and Iraqi’s I have taught,” she said.
Danielle explained that volunteering at the mobile soup kitchen alongside her work as a teacher has given her a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by people who have experienced unfathomable hardship.
After her morning coffee, she’s always happy to field questions from students about her role at Soup N Smiles and hopes it helps them gain perspective about other people’s struggles.
“The students definitely absorb it”, she says, joking that they may regret asking about her work when she is fuelled by caffeine.
“If you can be grateful for the fact that you’re going to have a meal, you’re going to have a cup of coffee, you’re not going to be bombed while you’re drinking it, you’ve got somewhere to sleep tonight, you’ve got parents, you’re going to feel more fulfilled.
“I’m constantly saying to young people, as I do to my daughters, it’s a perfectly normal state of mind to feel uncomfortable, to feel nervous, to feel overwhelmed. These are normal feelings that you can’t shut down. But resilience is a really good thing to acquire.”
The Myriad Foundation is an Islamic organisation founded in 2013 to promote social welfare. Danielle became a Muslim after joining the charity and highlighted how one of the pillars of her faith, Zakat, compels her to donate two and a half per cent of her wealth each year.
She said that joining the charity has “opened her eyes” to the plight of those who had “complex circumstances and made a couple of mistakes with no one to fall back on.
“Of course, our name is Soup ‘N’ Smiles, our USP is definitely the smiles. As well as giving people food, drink and sleeping bags, we enjoy the conversations with the people we meet and we are always looking for donations and volunteers to get involved.”
At a time when many people are feeling the squeeze of the cost-of-living crisis, the dedication of kind-hearted volunteers like Danielle is as important as ever. Her story is a reminder that small acts of compassion, conversation and support can make a lasting difference to those facing the toughest challenges.
