Stockport entrepreneur Jefe Okoro is transforming quiet nights at local pubs into a frontline effort against homelessness. Through his pop-up initiative, Jefe’s Ramen, Okoro takes over pub kitchens, bringing his own food, equipment, and customer base to venues that might otherwise see low footfall.
The operation runs on a direct buy-one-give-one model. For every bowl of ramen purchased by a pub-goer, another meal is provided to someone experiencing homelessness in the local area.
From personal experience to local action
Okoro’s drive to establish the initiative stems from his own past experiences with homelessness. He highlights the scale of the issue as his primary motivation. “There are around 382,000 people struggling with homelessness in England right now. That gives me 382,000 reasons to make this work,” Jefe said.
The pop-ups have already begun appearing in venues such as the Swan with Two Necks, providing an immediate mutual benefit. Pubs receive a boost in trade during off-peak times, while the sales directly support vulnerable individuals in the community.
For the past four years, Jefe has supported his local community through Jefe’s Barbers,
funding initiatives including £5 haircuts during the cost-of-living crisis, free cuts for people
experiencing homelessness and annual pay-what-you-can events directly from the business.
“I want to breathe life into communities and their pubs, get the tills ringing a little faster, and put hot food into the hands of people who need it.”
Jefe Okoro said: “There’s always another bill, another curveball and another good cause vying for your attention.
“I don’t want to build something that relies on continually asking people to donate. With
Jefe’s Ramen, you buy the bowl you hopefully wanted anyway. That helps a pub fill a quiet
night, supports a local business and means somebody sleeping rough gets a hot meal too.
“While we argue about whose head is furthest underwater, nobody reaches for any of us.
There is no medal for who is drowning deepest. I want to breathe life into communities and
their pubs, get the tills ringing a little faster, and put hot food into the hands of people who
need it.”
Crowdfunding for expansion
Jefe is launching the £8,000 crowdfunding campaign “382k Reasons: Feeding the UK, One Bowl at a Time” to buy mobile kitchen equipment, cover operating costs, and expand to new venues. Guided by the principle “Don’t fund the meal. Fund the kitchen,” the initiative also funds 500 reusable insulated flasks for rough sleepers, enabling charity outreach teams to refill them continuously throughout winter.
Supporters can pledge £10 or donate £25 to send a flask and hot meal to someone in need while receiving a matching flask themselves. Pubs with underused kitchens can host a £2,500 six-month residency, generating free meals for people experiencing homelessness every night Jefe’s operates. Under a “Buy 1 Give 1” model, paying venues fully subsidise free residencies for community pubs that cannot afford to pay.
You can donate to the crowdfunding campaign here.
