RCK OUTREACH UPDATE!

Throughout the devastating impact of Covid-19, RCK Outreach has remained committed to serving food to those who need it. Outreach is still going strong in Brixton, as well as providing food parcels and supporting service user families in Camden. We are looking at going back to a normal service in the next month as people are back on the streets.

Founder Janie Mac made it into the national press this week, talking about the current situation for homeless in London & the UK -

'Janie Mac, the co-founder of Refugee Community Kitchen which has been providing food parcels and hot meals to the homeless in Brixton and Camden, argues there are “101 things that could have been done,” instead of the simple act of removing people.

“You can’t put someone that’s been living on the streets with mental health issues and drug issues and put them in a hotel room and expect them to co-operate. There are many layers on why that is difficult for them, including isolation.

“It’s easy to look after the people who are compliant, who do what they’re told, but the most vulnerable people are the ones who are the most difficult for many reasons. And if you haven’t sorted that out then you haven’t been successful.”'

You can read the full article here:

BLAISE VASSEUR’S EID STICKY RAISIN LAMB

Tomorrow is Eid, and we say Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating around the world from Refugee Community Kitchen! To mark the occasion we're sharing with you Blaise Vasseur's delicious recipe for Eid Sticky Raisin Lamb. We hope you enjoy -

While our food is normally 99% plant based, we make exceptions during special occasions like Eid & Easter because we do our best to help people stay connected to their culture and beliefs while living in very difficult conditions.

What you’ll need:

600 grams of diced lamb

1 ltr of water

2 large onions sliced

4 cloves garlic

100 grams raisins

Pinch of turmeric powder

Pinch of cinnamon powder

Pinch of cumin powder

5 star anise

120 grams basmati rice

What to do:

Follow normal rice instructions using lamb stock. Gently boil lamb pieces with spices and 1ltr of water until cooked and tender. Cool then strain of the water and put aside. Put onion and garlic and another pinch of all spices together in a heavy pan and sweat until soft. Add raisins. Add 200ml of lamb stock and cook till raisins are plump and melting. Pour raisin sauce over the lamb and reheat. Place reheated lamb and raisin sauce on top of cooked rice, sprinkle with toasted almonds and chopped parsley.

Enjoy.

Serves 4-5

We won!

Refugee Community Kitchen is so happy to announce that we won silver in the People's Choice category of the Charity Film Awards 2020!

Big thanks to the CFA and congrats to everyone who took part.

You can watch our winning film below - made in our Calais kitchen, it covered our distributions in Dunkirk to thousands of Kurdish refugees. The film was made with Observer Food Monthly for when we won The Outstanding Achievement Award 2019!

HEAVY HEARTS

Our hearts are heavy with worry for the vulnerable people we have left behind in Northern France, who are now confronting one of the most precarious situations they have had to face on their long and difficult journeys.

There are a still a few local and international organisation on the ground doing the best they can to keep the people we serve safe, warm, fed & connected, while also tirelessly lobbying the French Government to take everyone to safety immediately.

AND we can now announce with huge relief that nearly every one of our amazing 35-strong crew of volunteers who had committed to stay as long as they possibly could, have made it home to their families. Most are self-isolating in some way or another, but all are safe and healthy today.

For now, the kitchen we all love is safely packed up but ready to be lit up at a day's notice.

In the mean time, you can sign up to our Newsletter to stay in touch and/or show interest in volunteering by clicking the links below.

Please support us with a donation if you can, this is a time to regather ourselves and come out stronger!

Big love,

RCK FAMILY

UPDATE

It is sad news that we have to announce that Refugee Community Kitchen is suspending operations in Northern France due the coronavirus.

RCK is a COMMUNITY kitchen. It is about people supporting people, and so it is with heavy hearts we have made this decision. We have to protect our volunteers, the people we serve and the people in the surrounding area.

We will be reviewing the situation over the next 3 weeks, posting updates and will be ready to start up again as soon as viably possible.

Thank you for your continued support during this unprecedented times.

Love to you all

RCK UPDATE FROM SAM JONES

France has now closed it borders and is enacting strong measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

As of now, we are still permitted to provide food. We are taking every precaution possible in order to protect both our volunteers and the EXTREMELY vulnerable people who we serve.

The refugees living rough in Northern France have no access to running water, sanitation, electricity, shelter or security. The average amount of sleep is about THREE hours thanks to perpetual, violent evictions by the police. Immune systems and spirits are low after months of abuse and brutal winter weather. Our states CANNOT ignore the thousands of people living rough on our borders during this pandemic.

We must come together during these crazy times. Thankfully we have a core group of long-term volunteers who are committed to staying but funds and numbers are low and WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Please watch and share this video and DONATE what you can

Our love goes out to all of you and your families. Stay safe.

- Refugee Community Kitchen

HOW RCK IS TAKING ON COVID-19

After a few months of intense winter wind and rain, we are facing yet another storm, COVID-19.

Keeping our volunteers and the people we support, who have no shelter or sanitation, safe during this health crisis is our highest priority.

We are currently serving about 13,000 meals to hundreds of people a week. Volunteer numbers in the kitchen have drastically dropped and we foresee a huge struggle ahead to keep the food coming out. We really need your help as we come face-to-face with yet another crisis forcing us to dig deep for the vulnerable people we serve.

In the kitchen we are making changes to our operations on the ground to avoid spreading the virus to the vulnerable people we serve.

We recommend checking the Foreign Office Website guidelines on travelling to and from France over the coming weeks as this may also affect your travel insurance and our operations.

We are currently accepting international volunteers but please remember if you present any symptoms, have had contact with people who've been diagnosed, or plan to travel from an affected area, it is best to stay at home and consider making a donation instead of volunteering.

Please donate & volunteer with us if it is safe for you to do so.

Remember if you present any symptoms, have had contact with people who've been diagnosed, or plan to travel from an affected area, it is best to stay at home.

PS. Please email us if you'd like more details about how we are handling COVID-19.

VEGAN MAYONNAISE for ETHIOPIAN OTHODOX LENT

At Refugee Community Kitchen we believe it's important to serve culturally familiar food & condiments. It's currently Ethiopian Orthodox Lent, which means that some of the people we serve will eat vegan until April 18th. Our vegan mayonnaise has been going down really well - it's made of AQUAFABA a.k.a. chick pea juice!

Here's a recipe for you to try at home:

*2 cups Aquafaba

*2.5 cups veg oil (any flavourless veg oil will do)

*1.5 tablespoons lemon juice

*1.5 tablespoons white wine vinegar

*2.5 tablespoons dijon mustard

*pinch of salt

Put all the ingredients (expect for the oil) in a bowl and combine with stick blender. When combined, slowly but steadily add the oil, making sure the blender is sucking in some air, so that it gets foamy, and eventually goes white. Keep adding oil until it will stick to a spoon without dripping. Now add more salt, mustard, vinegar to taste, or get creative and add chili or garlic!