The Soup Kitchen has been operating in central London since 1986, and provides critical support to many homeless and vulnerable people in our communities. With a core team of staff and hundreds of volunteers each year, The Soup Kitchen provides healthy and nutritious food, unprecedented mental health support, clothing, and friendship for the homeless, elderly, lonely and vulnerable throughout London.
They provide free nutritious meals, clothing, toiletries, and a sense of belonging to over 150 people each day. Additionally, they recently launched Europe’s first-ever on-site mental health drop-in centre within a soup kitchen, allowing them to meet an urgent need within the population they serve.
This year, Raymond James’ donation of £10,000 will be used exclusively towards food costs. With so many people using their services, their food costs have risen sharply.
Since 2022, the Raymond James Engagement Committee has organised regular volunteering opportunities at The Soup Kitchen including food preparation, serving drinks and interacting with the guests, helping them to feel like valued members of society and part of a caring community.
This work helps the Soup Kitchen to continue their valuable service as well as providing an enriching volunteering experience for RJ staff. We are so pleased to continue with Raymond James’ tradition of charitable giving, aligned with our defining culture of putting people first, thinking long-term, leading with integrity and giving back to our communities.
Colleague volunteer comments received this year include: “The Soup Kitchen staff were very welcoming and I was quickly put to work. There was lots to do and it was a very busy shift, but everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine. The guests were very appreciative of the food and it was a privilege to be part of something positive, at a time where lots of the news is less so”.
We are so pleased to continue with Raymond James’ tradition of charitable giving, aligned with our defining culture of putting people first, thinking long-term, leading with integrity and giving back to our communities.
Bear market of 1974The severe bear market of 1974 threatened the existence of Raymond James, which was bleeding capital by the day. Tom James, his father and other leaders took extreme measures to keep the firm afloat, slashing costs, forgoing pay checks and even attempting to sell the firm for just enough capital to protect client assets and retain as many associates as possible. The story could have ended very differently if not for a sharp upturn and continued rebound in the stock markets late in the year. |
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Black MondayOn 19 October 1987, the stock markets experienced a dramatic plunge that prompted many firms to shut down their trading desks and turn off their phones to minimize internal losses. Raymond James refused to do the same. Our desks stayed open to help meet clients’ needs, resulting in our first and only unprofitable quarter since the firm went public in 1983. |
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Who was Raymond James?The Raymond in our name is actually from Edward Raymond, owner of a 15-employee mutual fund sales group, Raymond and Associates, along Florida’s west coast. He sold his company to Bob James on 15 July 1964, on condition that the surviving firm be called Raymond, James & Associates. Three days after the sale, Ed Raymond was involved in a near-fatal automobile accident and never joined the firm. Nonetheless, even after Raymond had passed away, Bob James insisted that his name remain on the door – ahead of James’ own. That was a promise he made to Ed Raymond three days before the accident, and Bob James was a man who kept his promises. |
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Taking Raymond James PublicWhen consideration was being given to taking Raymond James public, Tom James penned a letter to shareholders (largely employees at the time). ” … the public offering should be considered as a statement of our independence. While this is a psychological rather than an economic rationale, it is nonetheless very important. We have asserted for some time that we are not interested in becoming a small part of a very large corporation. That assertion results mainly from the inclinations of management rather than the economic benefits associated with either alternative. The public stock offering affords us the opportunity to enjoy a little bit of the best of both worlds. While shareholders will be given liquidity at fair market value, we will still have the ability to control our own destiny.” After 40+ years of Tom’s leadership, upon becoming CEO, Paul Reilly was often questioned about whether the company might ultimately surrender its cherished independence and be acquired by some larger entity. His response: “Not while I’m around.” It’s a theme that continues today. |
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