Cooking Up Connections With Food Friends
Written by: Rosie Collins
Each year, we partner with a charity whose values align closely with our own - and over the last 12 months, we’ve been proud to support Food Friends, a local organisation working to reduce loneliness and isolation through a meal-sharing initiative which connects volunteers who love to cook - with a neighbour nearby - who’d really appreciate a delicious home-cooked meal delivered with some company and conversation.
It’s been an incredible year, and together with our community, we’re proud to have made a real difference.
Raising Funds, Raising Awareness
Thanks to your support, we’ve raised £3,660 to help Food Friends expand their reach and continue their vital work across Kent. This has been through various fundraising activities, including our recent Step Challenge, which saw our team complete a sponsored ‘Walk to Italy’ – covering over 4 million steps between them!
Through our partnership, 16 volunteers have signed up to become Food Friends, which equates to an additional 672 meals over the next 12 months. That’s 672 moments of connection and kindness, all made possible by our partnership.
Team Effort Across The Board
Our team has been just as involved. From marketing to front of house support, we’ve donated 20 staff hours to support Food Friends’ mission and one of our proudest moments has been seeing a member of our own team, Rebecca, inspired to become a Food Friend herself. She has been cooking and delivering meals to Brian for six months now and loves every minute of it.
Rebecca commented, “After attending the Food Friends introduction evening, I quickly knew I wanted to be part of the charity. I don’t have any elderly relatives, and I’ve often felt that my daughter Sylvie (aged 10) is missing out on a meaningful connection with the older generation. I also wanted us to do something purposeful together. As someone who definitely identifies as a feeder, I love cooking big, wholesome meals - and always have plenty to spare - so Food Friends felt like the perfect fit for us.
Upskilling On Every Level
Back in March, we supported the upskilling of Food Friends’ volunteers through a dedicated Dementia Dinner in our café - an event designed to raise awareness and build confidence around what is now one of the UK’s most pressing health challenges.
Meanwhile, at an organisational level, our marketing team has been working closely with Food Friends on their brand evolution - helping to shape a refreshed brand identity and logo, as well as supporting in the development of a marketing strategy and updated website to support their future growth.
And That’s Not All…
In December, we collaborated with Whitstable-based artist Chris Millard to create a limited-edition Christmas card for Food Friends - selling 382 cards and donating all profits to Food Friends.
Plus, we’ve also donated over £275 worth of produce for various events & initiatives throughout the year, alongside £425 worth of in-kind room hire to facilitate training sessions, meetings, and volunteer get-togethers.
Continuing Our Connection
We’re hugely grateful to everyone who’s played a part in this - whether you’ve volunteered, donated, or simply helped us spread the word. While our team have selected a new charity partner for the year ahead (more on that soon!), Food Friends will always remain incredibly important to us, and we’ll continue to champion their work and offer support wherever we can!
If you’d like to continue supporting Food Friends, you can do so through a regular donation here. Or why not volunteer as a Food Friend yourself? Find out more about how it works and sign up here.
