Winter Fundraising

HNY 2023 from RCK

Please share our winter fundraising campaign https://bit.ly/3WDrvk6

Everyday amazing volunteers work if difficult conditions to serve healthy, nutritious warm food to people living in desperate and inhumane conditions in Northern France and to huge numbers of people facing food poverty and homelessness in 6 locations on the streets of London.

Your donations and support help us keep the kitchens going as well as helping us support other organisations giving essential services in Northern France and local community groups, schools, warm rooms and food banks in London.

We are committed to giving people good food that we would share at our own tables at home always made with love and served with dignity.

Thank you from everyone at RCK

Safe Passage Now!

With heavy hearts we send our love and condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives yesterday in horrendous conditions trying to reach our shores trying to reach a life of safety.

It’s barely 3 weeks since we gathered to remember refugees tragic drowning in the same channel and still no provision has been created to keep people safe.

These deaths are avoidable demand safe passage now!

https://www.safepassage.org.uk/safe-routes-save-lives

7 years ago today...

7 years ago today, we served our first service in Calais, Northern France and after providing over 3.5 million nourishing meals here & in the UK we look back and reflect on our principles and values.

This pertinent short film encapsulates so much of what drives us, guides us and holds us close in hard times and in happy times.

We have so much gratitude for the many thousands of hands and hearts that have come together to make this possible.

Sadly we need you more than ever, please come and join the community and help carry on this important work.

Together we are Stronger

HUMANS OF RCK: Anna

Amazing Annie is a returning long term volunteer. Always a smile, nothing too much trouble., Reliable, welcoming and a great sense of humour. We love her

We are so happy Returning volunteers mean so much to us and the project . They come with renewed energy and experience. This also shows the importance of the project to our volunteers and their belief in RCK.

An insight into our London kitchen operation!

The kitchen operates to a whiteboard to do list. Our volunteers come in and wash, chop and prepare the days menu. Absolutely no previous cooking experience is required. The kitchen team leader for the day will be on hand to offer guidance and also plenty of tea!

We try our hardest to ensure that all our food comes from sustainable sources and have partnered with several charities such as the Felix Project.

Once the food has been prepared, our distribution teams arrives to the kitchen to collect the food before heading out to one of several distribution sites across London.

Alongside distributing food we we offer hot drinks and an opportunity for the local community to come together and have a chat.

Come and peel some garlic with us!

Over the last couple of weeks our volunteer team in Calais has been growing smaller, however the need for hot food in Calais has not.

We have called out to the RCK community for additional support over the last couple of weeks and the response has been great with lots of emails asking about how volunteering works and people committing to come over.

Consequently, for the first time in a while we are able to operate for 6 days this week. This means an additional hot meal for those who want it in Calais and with temperatures falling and heavy rainfall access to hot food becomes more important.

However, volunteers are set to drop significantly beyond next week unfortunately making the 6 day week unsustainable unless we have more volunteers!

The kitchen could not operate without the tireless of work of volunteers both in person and from afar and so this post is simply about saying thank to you all for your continued support. It is hugely appreciated.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering and coming to Calais then please email volunteering@refugeecommunitykitchen.org or if you would like to make any donation (of any size!!) then please click below.

Come and peel some garlic with us!!