We are about to open our first permanent Cafe and Community Hub at the Thames Barrier Park in Newham. It's a huge step for us, and we'd love your support. We will not only feed local residents through our cafe, but also provide opportunities for informal cook and eat sessions, kid’s café after school workshops, community feasts, training programmes, volunteer opportunities, fitness sessions and health and well being events. We just need your help to raise funds to build the commercial kitchen and communal area which will be the heart of our building. Since 2010 we’ve been making Food Waste Feasts and Cooking Sessions at Music Venues, in Community Centres, Parks, Gardens and an Adventure Playground in East London. We're ready to have a home, a space to grow in daily, where we teach and learn from each other. We believe that together we can address issues such as food waste, food poverty and social isolation organically through creating a supporting and sharing community space for all

What we'll deliver:

• Fit Out a Commercial Kitchen for our Cafe (and Teaching Hub)
• Install a stunning Wood Burning Oven (for Pizzas, Tagines, Flat breads, etc)
• Provide a variety of seating and planting to transform our Dining Area/Communal Space.

Why it's a great idea:

*The London Food Strategy calls for: “Every Londoner to have access to healthy, affordable, culturally-appropriate good food - regardless of where you live, your personal circumstances or income” *People's Kitchen's Community Cafe aims to provide exactly that, in a borough (Newham) where it’s greatly needed: with the 2nd highest poverty rates & childhood obesity rates in London. *We plan to address this through our inclusive approach creating a space to connect, to feel at home, to be valued & part of a supportive community whilst learning & sharing your own skills with others. * We will offer lunches & workshops on a sliding scale where people pay in accordance to what they have, supporting those with less. * We will also develop young people’s relationship to food through our active breakfasts & after school kid’s café cook & eat sessions. As well as to our cafe, we will activate a park too, providing more opportunities for people to connect through health and well being.

Steps to get it done:

• Remove all current kitchen fittings and fixtures, including flooring and ceiling
• Increase Width of Gallery Kitchen
• Layout Plans for Gallery Kitchen , with Wood Burning Oven as central piece
• Lay New Kitchen Flooring
• Install Kitchen Lighting
• Build and install Wood Burning Oven
• Layout and Install Rest of Kitchen, including electric oven, dish washer, sink, under counter fridges, and hot cupboard
• Create a Store Room , Prep Area for dry goods, Fridge and freezer, and dough making, etc
• Sand back and Varnish Dining Area Wooden Flooring
• Build Communal Tables and Benches from Scaffolding Planks
• Buy plants and build mobile plant room dividers
• Buy Exterior Bean bags, Sofas, etc.
• Buy all Kitchen Equipment, including pots, pans, plates, serving dishes, etc, etc
• Start Publicising Active Breakfast, Monthly Park Fit Sessions and all other aspects of our space
• Open Up our Cafe and Community Hub

People’s Kitchen’s approach has never been to preach or negatively portray the diets of communities. We understand that there are complicated societal imbalances that dictate what people eat & the food that’s available & affordable in their neighbourhoods. We have, instead, always strived to provide spaces that welcome all; inviting people to nourish themselves & others with dishes that just so happen to be mostly plant based, vegetarian, culturally diverse... & made from surplus ingredients. Our First Community Cafe and Well Being Hub marks a huge development for our organisation... a time where we transition from an informal group to becoming a Community Interest Company, & truly scaling up & developing our potential. As an organisation which strives to be by the people, for the people it is only fitting that we ask for crowdfunding support to build our first Permanent Kitchen. We just need your help... Come & show how acts of kindness & care can build and empower communities