UPDATE from the ground

We are once again deeply shaken after the death of a Sudanese child in the English channel. Despite the ongoing heartbreak that comes with supporting people in Calais, our team is working really hard to get at least 1500 nourishing, delicious meals out a day. All while refugees continue to live in awful conditions, while facing constant evictions and increasingly limited and dangerous ways to reach the refuge they seek in the UK.

Over the last few months we've been adapting as much we can to the terrible conditions in Calais. And now we are doing everything we can to keep our already stretched services going.

The stark reality is that COVID-19 has affected everything we do.

Food prices have gone up; fuel prices too. We have MUCH lower volunteer numbers and donations have dropped as we all tighten our belts during this global crisis.

As such, our response to the growing needs of the displaced people we serve may have to be more restricted in the coming weeks. We must use our resources and capabilities sustainably so that we will be able to support people through the upcoming winter.

We may have to serve less often during these hard times but we will continue to be consistent and reliable and do our best to provide dignified, safe, nutritious food service in Northern France.

Photos by Abdul Saboor

The situation is truly dire and we need everyone's help! Please donate what you can to support our ongoing efforts.

THANK YOU!

Paula, Sam, Steve, Janie & the RCK crew

THANK YOU for all of your support throughout this difficult time. We are indebted to you all!

You can also help us by visiting our Shop for great colourful T-shirts, hoodies and more.

HUMANS OF RCK: Nina

Introducing the wonderful Nina, who's been volunteering in Calais since the start of 2020. As hilarious as she is hard-working, she's helped form part of the incredible long-term team serving Calais through COVID-19.

"I initially worked with RCK in February 2018, because I wanted to contribute my piece to creating practical change in light of this humanitarian crisis. Traveling back and forth between my home and Calais for two years, I decided to become a longterm volunteer in January 2020. Since then, I enjoy being surrounded by equally driven people to express our solidarity and provide good, nutritious food in times of crisis.

Since the rise of COVID-19 in France, we have been operating under a lot of pressure to keep providing our service with a smaller team, while ensuring that it is safe to access our distributions."

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DONATE to help us keep getting food out to people who need it through the evictions

THANK YOU for all of your support throughout this difficult time. We are indebted to you all!

You can also help us by visiting our Shop for great colourful T-shirts, hoodies and more.

Are you signed up to the RCK newsletter?

Our newsletter comes out once a month, and the next one is due soon! You won't be spammed with info, you'll just get the latest updates on our work as well as volunteering opportunities and our ongoing COVID response. It's usually the first place we announce big news and it's a great way to stay up to date with what's going on behind the scenes!

More Thanks

A Thursday throwback to some of the incredible groups of people who've come in regular convoys to Calais over the past years! You've kept our spirits high and our work swift, and we are so grateful to all of you. Shoutout to Aid Convoy Team, Come2Calais, Calais Light, Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group, Failte Refugees Society NUIG, Catch a Smile asbl, Neighbours In Poplar and Herts for Refugees

Thanks to the Garlic Farm

Our eternal thanks to the wonderful Garlic Farm who have kept us in garlic for over 4 years!

They've donated tonnes of bulbs all the way from their Isle of Wight farm to our Calais kitchen, making sure our dishes are flavourful and nutritious.

Crushed, chopped, fried or roasted - garlic forms the the base of each and every dish we make, while the peeling tables are the chattiest spots in the kitchen!

RCK T-SHIRT

Our brightly coloured RCK tees have been selling really well - thank you so much to everyone who has bought one so far! Every single t-shirt helps our organisation keep preparing, cooking and distributing nutritious meals to displaced people.

1 t-shirt = 25 meals

Go quickly and order yours before they're all gone! ->

HELP US GET NEW EQUIPMENT FOR THE CALAIS KITCHEN!

In our Calais kitchen, we cook for thousands of people a day. In order to do this we need the best, heavy-duty, equipment - oh, and it needs to be GIGANTIC too!

Our dependable stainless steel 'gastros' that carry the curry and rice to the distribution sites in Calais & Dunkirk cost about £25 each.

Can you help us to buy more so that we can replace damaged ones?

THANK YOU for all of your support throughout this difficult time. We are indebted to you all!

You can also help us by visiting our Shop for great colourful T-shirts, hoodies and more.

HUMANS OF RCK: Callum

Meet the wonderful Callum who has been with RCK for the best part of a year! This keen cook, movie buff and coffee fanatic has a very special place in our hearts. He brought exciting flavours to the kitchen and made the general vibe a very happy one. He also put in a lot of work in various coordinator roles and helped us manage lots of stuff with RCK behind the scenes.

WE LOVE YOU CALLUM!

Thank you for all your hard work and we wish you all the best .

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DONATE to help us keep getting food out to people who need it through the evictions

THANK YOU for all of your support throughout this difficult time. We are indebted to you all!

You can also help us by visiting our Shop for great colourful T-shirts, hoodies and more.