Gary Smith with Lord Lieutenant Tim Stevenson in 2013 Due to the pandemic, public buildings were forced to shut which included the Manzil Way centre where Ma Smith and the soup kitchen usually serve meals every Wednesday and Saturday. After the temporary loss of the premises, her team of volunteers had to adapt to keep helping those most in need. Her son, Gary Smith, initially reached out to Tesco on Cowley Road for support with sandwiches from March to May and subsequently to Kebab Kid and KFC, also on the busy street, and they were willing to help to provide meals for the homeless from May until December.
AN OXFORD icon who has been feeding the city’s homeless for three decades is back in the kitchen for the first time since the pandemic. Icolyn ‘Ma’ Smith reopened the Oxford Community Soup Kitchen yesterday at the Asian Cultural Centre, off Cowley Road. The 90-year-old, who has been awarded an MBE for her efforts as well as a Pride of Britain award in 2018, said: “Since the lockdown we’ve never stopped but we weren’t able to cook the food in the centre due to the coronavirus.” Because of the pandemic, public buildings were forced to shut which included the Manzil Way centre where Ma Smith and the soup kitchen typically serve meals every Wednesday and Saturday.