Be Enriched

Food, Friendship & Community: A Summer with Be Enriched
By The Be Enriched Team

Dear Friends,

This summer has been one of our busiest yet, and thanks to your support, we’ve risen to the challenge. Across our projects, the Be Enriched team has been working tirelessly to make sure that communities across South London have access to food, friendship, and vital support.

Kids Clubs: A Massive Four Weeks of Fun and Food

Our Holiday Kids Clubs ran for four wonderful weeks, welcoming 47 children and their parents. Together we cooked, learned, and shared 235 meals. From pizza making and paneer wraps to a farm trip and growing workshop, children tried foods they’d never eaten before and families were inspired to cook new recipes at home. One parent told us:

“my daughter doesn't eat tomatoes at home, she was more than willing to try them in her food, she really enjoyed eating them.”

The Food Bus: On the Road and Making a Difference

Since May, the Food Bus has welcomed 750 customers across six weekly stops, covering Lambeth, Wandsworth, and Merton. Summer brought extra celebrations too: 250 smoothies at Rockingham Estate, 100 fruit slushies at Allen Edwards Summer Fete, and 150 houmous pots with veg sticks at Henry Fawcett Fete. We also ran a Holiday Activities & Food (HAF) programme, bringing children together for cooking, creativity, and good food.

Community Canteens: Welcoming Record Numbers

Our Community Canteens have been busier than ever, running 50 sessions and welcoming 1,216 guests. We rescued 1,400kg of surplus food to create healthy meals, and supported households with 38 fuel bank vouchers worth £1,340. This summer we also launched a health partnership with Community Southwark & Healthwatch Southwark, offering free health checks at a Canteen, and we’re thrilled this will now be a regular service every two months.

Looking Ahead

As the hot summer turns towards a crisp Autumn, our thoughts turn to our guests facing increased bills due to the upcoming winter energy hike.

Our Fuel bank project has been invaulable in providing a lifeline that so many need in order to keep the lights and heating on, and we can forsee an increase in need from repeat and new guests to our canteens. With that in mind we will be working to free up the money people have by increasing access to the low cost food through the food bus, working with local authrities so people get the support they need before it becomes a crisis and continue to provide a warm space, friend faces and delicious meals at our canteens.

Thank You

We are deeply grateful for your support. Your donations mean we can keep our Canteens open, keep the Food Bus on the road, and run Kids Clubs that bring food and joy to families during the holidays. With your help, people across South London have access to good food, support, and community when they need it most.

With gratitude,
The Be Enriched Team