Helping the Homeless in Memory of her ‘Superhero’ Son
North Belfast woman Linda Duffy began volunteering with The People’s Kitchen seven years ago with her mum Rosaleen and son Alex. But then tragedy struck early in 2024 when Alex suddenly passed away. As she faces a second Christmas without him, she tells Maureen Coleman of his important legacy.
Linda Duffy lives by the motto ‘a giving hand never wants.’
It’s a philosophy she inherited from her mum Rosaleen. As a youngster, Linda recalls her mum inviting a homeless man into their north Belfast home for a hot bath and clean suit. That simple gesture of kindness always stayed with Linda and prompted her to help others when she too had the chance.
Following the death of her dad seven years ago, Linda, who works as a Disability and Community Engagement Manager at the 174 Trust, decided it would be a good idea to find a volunteering project which would give her grieving mum something to do with her free time. Mother and daughter both signed up to help at The People’s Kitchen, a charity which provides emotional and practical support for the homeless and vulnerable. The women were joined by Linda’s son Alex, a ‘superhero volunteer’, who also helped with the 174 Trust’s Young Adult Disability Project. The trio initially volunteered at St Patrick’s church hall, where The People’s Kitchen was based at the time, before it relocated to Carlisle Circus.
Their regular voluntary shifts in the soup kitchen saw them serve up hot meals and food parcels to those living on the streets or in hostels, who had nowhere else to turn to for warm food or a listening ear. Every Christmas, Linda, Rosaleen and Alex set aside time to work with other volunteers to ensure their homeless guests enjoyed a festive dinner and gift. When Linda decided to set up a new charity, Clothes for All, taking inspiration from her mum’s previous act of kindness, Rosaleen and Alex got on board too. Tragically and unexpectedly though, Alex, who had Down syndrome, passed away suddenly in January 2024 after undergoing surgery to remove two teeth at the School of Dentistry at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was just 21. His death has left a huge void in the lives of all those who loved him, including the many homeless people he helped. And while Linda is still struggling with the loss of her son, she intends to carry on helping the homeless in his memory.
“I couldn’t walk away from it,” Linda says. “Alex loved volunteering with The People’s Kitchen. To be honest, he would’ve been there every day if he could.
“On nights when it was raining and he was tucked up in bed, he would say: ‘God help the homeless tonight’. He was always thinking of them.
“Everyone loved Alex. He had such a lovely way with him and was able to diffuse any arguments that might break out.
“After he died, a lot of the homeless people arrived at our house. They wouldn’t come in, but they wanted us to know they were thinking of him. On the day of his funeral, they formed a guard of honour along with the volunteers from The People’s Kitchen. That meant a lot to us as a family.”
Before joining the 174 Trust’s Disability Project, Linda worked as an office manager. After Alex was born, she took some time out from her job to focus on her baby son and began volunteering with the Disability Project, based at the Duncairn Centre. Linda loved the project, so when the post of coordinator came up, she applied and was successful. She’s been there ever since, growing the Disability Project to what it is now – a vital service for children who live in north Belfast and who have a physical or learning disability. The project includes a youth group, a junior club and a carers’ project, with activities running either after-school or in the evenings. Linda also plans to set up a mums and toddlers special needs group – something she says was lacking when Alex was born. Thanks to the great work Linda has done coordinating the various programmes, the number of children attending has risen from seven to around 100.
“When Alex was born, I was sent home with a leaflet and told not to go onto the internet,” recalls Linda.
“I was frightened because I didn’t know what the future would hold. No one in our family knew anyone with Down syndrome and we were given no support.
“I was advised to go to a mother and toddler group but that made the situation worse, as I was watching these children reach certain milestones. I told myself at the time that if I ever got the chance to set up a group for children with special needs, I would do it.”
Volunteering at The People’s Kitchen became an integral part of life for Linda, her mum and her youngest son. While Alex was the peacemaker, Rosaleen became the maternal figure.
“She’s very firm with them all, but they respect and love her for it,” says Linda.
One evening, around four years ago, Linda watched her mum wash a young homeless woman’s hair. It made her think that there was more they could do. So, she set up her charity Clothes for All, which operates out of the Duncairn Centre. Rosaleen, who is 82, is a regular volunteer with Clothes for All, along with several other women.
“We get lots of referrals,” says Linda. “We get homeless people comingin and people who’ve just come out of prison and have nothing except the clothes they’re standing up in. We had one older woman who turned up in her nightdress and coat.
“We also had a young lad come to us, whose granddad had died. He had a problem with drugs but was told he could go to the funeral if he cleaned up his act.
“When he came to us, he had five grannies fussing over him. They put him in a clean suit and sent him off with some words of advice.”
Linda expects to be kept busy this Christmas, volunteering at The People’s Kitchen and sorting out clothes for those who find themselves without. She, her mum and the other women who help with Clothes for All take to the streets of Belfast once a week to hand out clothes to those in need. It’s something Alex used to help with too.
It’s the second Christmas without her beloved son and Linda intends to mark it in the same way as last year. She, her husband Patrick, their older son Gary, Rosaleen and other family members will visit Alex’s grave – as she does every day.
“Last Christmas was dreadful. I just threw myself into volunteering then on Christmas Day, we all went and sat by his grave. It was pouring rain, but we didn’t care,” Linda says.
“Mum comes with me every day to visit his grave. We have a bench there with his photo. It helps me to go there to talk to him, but I talk to him all the time really. He’s always on my mind.”
Linda says she’d love to see some statutory funding for The People’s Kitchen, which still relies on public donations. Her Christmas wish list also includes a special place where homeless people can go during the day when they’ve been forced to leave their hostels and have nowhere else to go.
“Anybody could find themselves homeless and we should never judge how people end up in that situation,” she says.
“Alex saw the good in everyone too and loved helping others, so I’ll keep doing this for as long as I can. It’s what he would’ve wanted.”
