Brixton People's Kitchen

It's almost been a year since we had to close our doors to everyone and innovate our offer to ensure everyone who needs help gets it.

We've been an emergency food hub sending out over 5000 food crates in 3 months, Crisis food bank, a hybrid Cafe and community shop for a short period and now we are running a community shop - for local people, staffed by local people and offering food the local community want.

Everyone has been affected by covid and so many of our customers have lost their jobs, or have no recourse to public funds and therefore just about surviving. Our community shop offers a level of dignity and choice that Foodbanks just do not offer. For a £5 donation customers can choose from a vast array of basic food, household and essential items as well as more cultural foods required by many of the community. They feel like they are contributing and not like they are recieving charity. Those who are in crisis still continue to recieve a free parcel of food and for many we provide a daily free meal that can just be heated up in the microwave.

This comes at a cost to us and we make back 33p to every £1 we spend - so we really need you help to ensure we can continue to offer this to the 280 people who visit us weekly. In addition, as more people are housebound we are raising funds for a cargo bike to deliver to their homes. Just an extra £1000 to reach that goal.

Thanks for you continued support.

Keep safe!

Links:

• What we did in lockdown 1
• Article about our shop

The opportunity to be part of the Covid Response Intern was a unique and rewarding learning experience. 

In December 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 turned the world upside down, making us revisit our priorities and quickly adapt to a new normal. As March 2020 approached and the virus reached official pandemic status, the UK quickly implemented measures in order to contain it. A nationwide lockdown led to a socio-economic crisis which in turn allowed for some unexpected issues to bubble up to the surface. One of them was the fragility of the UK’s food system and its obviousinequalities when it comes to food supply and distribution. 

Food insecurity is prevalent among those who cannot physically or financially access food, the most affected being not only vulnerable groups but - those who are unemployed, on a low income, people with disabilities as well as those who are homeless. Food aid providers have since become overwhelmed as they are providing for more households than usual. In some parts of London, food bank usage quadrupled.In order to tackle the issue of food insecurity amplifiedby the pandemic, Be Enriched led local action by providing foodto those in need. 

Since joining the team in June, I’ve been providing support to Covid-19 emergency response work which has been incredibly eye-opening. During the main lockdown period, with an incredible team of volunteers prepared and delivered hot meals and food parcels in Lambeth and Wandsworth. It supported 90 households in April and up to 201 in June, extending its services throughout July and August in Wandsworth, when it managed to support 96 and 88 households respectively.  

By seeing how well the organisation adapted to the ever-changing circumstances, it gave me a better understanding of the planning behind emergency relief projects. I’ve also learned how to build and manage strong community partnerships and how important community engagement and outreach is, especially during uncertain times such as these. Finally, has also shown me how to be a better team player, more proactive and to have a problem-solving mindset. 

All in all, it has been an amazing experience to be part of such a lovely, hard-workingteam committed to drivingchange through better, moreaccessible food and stronger community ties.