Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

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Keywords

• Community Kitchen
• Community Activism
• Food provision
• Community Engagement
• Volunteer led

Aim

To diminish food poverty and social isolation in the local community though the provision of a local community lunch club.

Summary

Fa'side Community Kitchen (FCK) is a volunteer led COVID-19 legacy charity. The community-based group began offering hot meals and emergency food provision to residents of Fa’side in East Lothian during the first COVID lockdown. Today FCK has a local base within Fa’side bowling club two days a week. Hot and nutritious meals and social interaction are provided at no cost to a diverse community populace. Free transport to the community kitchen events is provided to those community members who require it through volunteer drivers.

What difference does it make?

According to the service user feedback and project staff, the FCK has brought the community closer together and has helped individuals to alleviate social isolation and food poverty. The project has also led to the identification and diversification of services e.g., play provision for children, as well as a closer working relationship with other charity groups.

Organisations

Fa'side Community Kitchen

Location

Tranent, East Lothian

Received charity status October 2021.

Key take-aways

• A volunteer-led project where service users have become volunteers helps attract other users and build connections in the community.
• Bringing community members together under the same roof for a meal can help alleviate isolation and food poverty.
• The project has led to the identification and diversification of services, as well as a closer working relationship with other charity groups.

 

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