Ex- pro basketballer Jerelle (‘Jefe’) Okoro is hoping to bring his ‘buy 1 give 1’ ramen pop-up to Salford to feed homeless people in the city.
Having been homeless himself, Jefe knows the struggle of finding a hot meal and is encouraging local pubs and charities to get in touch to help bring this initiative to Salford.
The pop-up, named ‘Jefes Ramen’ is not aimed at just supporting homeless people needing a hot meal, but also to help fill pubs and venues on quiet week nights. The pub or venue pays no fee, keeps 100% of their own bar takings and every bowl sold funds a hot meal for someone experiencing homelessness.
The goal is to make use of what pubs already have available, especially on quieter days with quieter kitchens.
While in talks with several pubs, locations and charities in Salford, Jefe is encouraging more to get in touch to help gain some traction in this.
Jefe has already managed to set this up across other cities in the UK, including one in Stockport. His most recent night sold more than 50 bowls of ramen and lifted footfall by around 40%.
Jefe is a former professional basketball player for Leicester Riders and also played for teams in London and Manchester. He opened a barber shop, ‘Jefes Barbers’ in 2022 in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, providing £5 haircuts during the cost-of-living crisis which unfortunately closed down. He was able to rebuild the barber shop in Stockport, where it still runs today.
Jefe said: “Closing the barbershop hurt. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t.
“I don’t want to build something that relies on continually asking people to donate. You buy a bowl you wanted anyway, the pub fills a quiet night, and somebody who’s sleeping rough gets a hot meal.”
Jeff has experienced homelessness himself, and has used his experience in his past business to build his plan. The business is run as a Community Interest Company (CIC), meaning it’s run in the interest of benefitting the community, not to generate profits.
He added: “I’ve been on the other side of this. I can’t ignore what I saw and experienced.
“Every city has a pub with a quiet night and a kitchen doing nothing, and every city has people with nowhere to sleep. That’s the opportunity. I just need the kit to get there.”
A CIC means the meals aren’t a marketing line, they’re the reason the business exists.
Jefe has also set up a Crowdfunder, with an £8,000 target so they can build a mobile kitchen. Donations can be made to ‘382k reasons’ here. The name of the Crowdfunder comes from the Shelter’s estimate that around 382,000 people in England are homeless, with a long-term aim to feed 382,000 people.
More and key info can be found on the Jefes Ramen website, including contact information for any businesses or charities that wish to get involved, or anybody interested in learning more about the story and what events are ongoing.
