Saffron Kitchen Project - Nourish, Train & Employ

Dear Friends,

As we reach the halfway point of 2026, we wanted to pause and celebrate some of the amazing moments and achievements from the year so far. From new milestones to new opportunities, it has been a year filled with growth and connections, and we’re excited to share a few highlights with you!

SKP Milestones

Celebrating Four Years of SKP
In April, we celebrated SKP's 4th birthday!! Over the past four years, hundreds of people have helped shape SKP into the community it is today. To everyone who has cooked alongside us, volunteered, donated, partnered with us, or simply believed in our mission thank you! Your support has made every meal, every training opportunity, and every success possible. A special thank you goes to our long-term team members; whose dedication and commitment continue to make SKP thrive every single day.

300,000 Meals! 
This June, we proudly prepared our 300,000th meal! Reaching this milestone less than a year after celebrating our 200,000th meal means we've cooked another 100,000 meals in under 12 months, a remarkable achievement that reflects both the dedication of our team and the growing need for nutritious food among vulnerable communities in Athens. While we're proud to celebrate this milestone, it also reminds us why our work continues to matter.

The Year So Far in Numbers:

•  60,333 meals served by July 2026.
•  We served between 450 - 500 meals a day, with over 240 takeaway meals distributed to the local community every day.
•  30 students successfully trained and graduated from our culinary training programme.
•  48 new volunteers joined us between January and May, bringing our total to 574 volunteers since SKP was founded.
• We welcomed one new part-time team member in January, supporting food distribution, data management, and communications.
• We also welcomed a new six-month intern who has been supporting our fundraising efforts and contributing to the continued growth of our work.
• We expanded our recipe collection with 15 new dishes—including our now popular yoghurt pasta & zucchini cream chicken!

... and we're only half way through the year! 

Community Events:

Behind the Red Door
One of the highlights of the year has been the Behind the Red Door initiative, our fundraising event series organised in collaboration with our dear partners Ankaa Project to support the running costs of our building. From lively comedy nights and competitive quiz nights to our much-loved supper clubs, these evenings brought people together through food, laughter, and solidarity while helping sustain our everyday work. Every ticket purchased and every guest who attended helped strengthen our community and contribute to building a more sustainable future for SKP and Ankaa in Athens.

Celebrating with Our Community
One of the year's most memorable moments was catering our very first wedding for one of our long-time friends and partners! Being trusted to prepare food for such a special celebration was both an honour and a reminder of the meaningful relationships that grow at SKP. 

ARAM X SKP Supper Club 
During Ramadan, our friends at Aram hosted a special Iftar supper club at Salamlik, their private dining space at Somerset House in London, in support of Saffron Kitchen Project. The evening brought people together around Syrian sharing plates and meaningful conversations, while raising funds and increasing awareness of our work. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our mission with new audiences through the power of food and community.

Training Future Chefs

Our culinary training programme continues to create opportunities for people looking to build a future in hospitality. This year, we completed our 13th cohort, with 30 students graduating and bringing the total number of graduates since the programme began to 197. Through practical kitchen experience, professional mentoring, and valuable workplace skills, our participants are gaining the tools and confidence needed to open pathways to employment. We're especially proud that the programme received an overall satisfaction score of 4.8/5, reflecting the positive experience of our participants and the dedication of our training team.

As we look ahead to the second half of 2026, we remain committed to creating opportunities through food, training, and community. While the need for our work continues to grow, so does our determination to meet it with care and espect.

Thank you for following our journey and for believing in what we do. Every milestone we've celebrated this year has been made possible by a community that shares our vision of a more inclusive and connected future.

We can't wait to share what the rest of the year has in store.

With love and solidarity,

Evelina and the SKP Team