Fair Food Transformation Fund: independent review

Kate’s Kitchen

Kate’s Kitchen was created by Annan Churches Together, a group of five churches in Annan. It began as a soup kitchen open one day a week, but quickly expanded. Currently the project is open four days a week. Kate’s Kitchen has three groups: arts and crafts, gardening and healthy eating. Community meals are provided, as well as cheap breakfasts and hot drinks. One-to-one support work is available and access to a food bank.

Dumfries & Galloway (Annandale & Eskdale)

Cyrenians

Extension of the successful Good Food Programme to include: community cook clubs connecting and collaborating with community problems in problem SIMD areas; a community eating space with regular breakfast, lunch and dinner events; and enhanced access to support, education and volunteering opportunities.

Edinburgh
(Various surrounding areas)

Granton Community Gardeners

Creation of a community pop-up café at which people can share a meal, volunteer and hosting 6 large community meals to share locally produced produce in order to provide an alternative to the two local food banks.

Edinburgh
(Granton)

Pilmeny Development Project (PDP)

New Spin is an intergenerational project within Pilmeny Development Project. Young people are referred into the programme by various agencies and take part in community meals and activities, including learning to cook. Volunteers are older members of the local community. Food parcels are available to take home. PDP also organises events and trips for its participants.

Edinburgh
(Leith)

Pilton Community Health Project

The project works closely with local activists, grassroots movements and emergency food providers to deliver a range of activities including community meals, cooking and food sessions and workshops, developing local food volunteers and specialised food-related skills training. Activities are often peer-led empowering participants to create projects of their own.

Edinburgh
(North Edinburgh)

Bridging the Gap

This project is an extension of existing high impact community provision. It is a partnership between The Barn, Link Up, TASK and The High Rise Bakers. Activities include monthly ‘Come Dine with Me’ community meals, weekly community drop-ins, a breakfast club, youth groups and a social enterprise – ‘The High Rise Bakers’ (which allows participants to produce and sell artisan bread).

Glasgow
(Gorbals)

Castlemilk Parish Church of Scotland

This project provides fortnightly community evening meals with activities such as quizzes and bingo, as well as performances by local residents. A crèche is available, access to food parcels, opportunities to volunteer and receive training and paid employment opportunities. People are able to donate what they can afford through a donations box.

Glasgow
(Castlemilk)

Central and West Integration Network (CWIN)

CWIN begun as a food distribution programme in 2012 with ESOL classes added later. In late 2016, CWIN began weekly community meals with funding from the Fair Food Transformation Fund. Opportunities to volunteer, participate in steering group meetings and receive training are provided. Access to free clothes is available at community meals.

Glasgow
(Central and West Glasgow)

Community Renewal Trust

This project has established Govanhill Community Canteen as an alternative to the local food bank. The canteen offers 3 evening and 2 lunch-time shared meals per week, at communal tables for 400 people. The suggested donation is £1 per meal. Shopping, cooking and serving is done by groups of local volunteers using locally purchased, donated or grown food.

Glasgow
(Govanhill)

Crookston Community Group

This project began as a food bank. It has expanded to include sit down meals cooked by participants. Participants are encouraged to come together to share multi-cultural recipes, learn how to plan meals, budget and shop smart (multi-buys, ‘Sell by’ dates, vouchers, coupons, loyalty cards, food labels).

Glasgow
(Crookston, Pollok)

St. Paul’s Youth Forum

This project started as a food bank but has expanded to provide more dignified approaches to food provision. Activities currently include weekly community meals with opportunities for participants to cook, growing groups, trips away, volunteering and training opportunities and paid employment positions. Facilities include a bike rental service, a handmade pizza oven, bee hives, radio station equipment and a chicken coop.

Glasgow
(Blackhill, Provanmill)

Woodlands Community Development Trust

This project runs a free Pop-Up Community Café, with free 3-course vegetarian meals and a programme of cookery workshops. The café incorporates music and performances and uses ingredients grown in the community garden. Volunteering and training opportunities are provided, including employability support. The project provides access to welfare advisors at each community meal. The project has a community garden and a lunch club for families.

Glasgow
(Woodlands)

Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust

This project has established a community café and shop, with provision of lunchtime and evening meals, alongside local gardening initiatives and healthy cooking on a budget demonstrations. Non-food-related activities include an arts and crafts group. Volunteering opportunities and training are available. The project distributes food, with home delivery for those unable to attend community meals.

Highland
(Kyle of Sutherland)

Stepwell Consultancy Ltd

The project supports households facing hardship in Inverclyde by improving their access to, and ability to cook, healthy and nutritious food. A cook school aimed at increasing confidence and skills to cook affordable, tasty meals from scratch is supported by financial capability work and opportunities to access additional support including employability, financial assistance and social activities.

Inverclyde
(Greenock)

Penicuik Community Alliance

This project has developed a community food hub consisting of a drop-in-café; community foodstore and training suite at ‘The Storehouse’ in Penicuik Town Centre. The project has been working with providers and users of the local food bank and hostel for temporarily homeless people.

Midlothian
(Penicuik)

Start-Up Stirling

This project has been developing its food bank services into ‘Beyond the Food bank’ sessions, a place where people can come to share a meal on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis, learn new life skills (such as cookery courses and a ‘Shopping on a Budget’ project), volunteer and provide peer support to others affected by food poverty.

Stirling
(All Stirling)

Nourish Scotland

This project is being delivered in association with the Poverty Truth Commission. It has been developing an evidence base and building capacity for moving towards dignified, long-term food provision in communities. It has done this through working with people with lived experience of food poverty to develop a ‘dignity framework’ for the alternative / community food sector. The framework will be used to pilot a series of lay person inspections (‘dignity reviews’) of services conducted by people with lived experience of food insecurity and to inform peer-evaluation and support among service providers themselves.

National

Beith Community Development Trust

This project runs a number of groups including: a Soup Group, an arts and crafts group and a gardening group. The project also runs an annual festival with local food and musical performances from participants. Volunteering and training opportunities are available. Facilities include football and tennis pitches, as well as a sensory garden. Beith Trust is flexible in delivery, providing cookery classes at a local school. With help from volunteers, the project is currently renovating one of its on-site buildings and constructing flats to rent.

North Ayrshire
(Beith)

Calderwood Baptist Church

This project was a pre-existing food bank that sought to transition to a community café model. Each community café has bags of emergency food available free of charge, but a selection of good quality, low cost fresh food for purchase is also available, and several user-led social activities including a monthly meal.

South Lanarkshire
(East Kilbride)

The First Base Agency

This project provides food parcels to local residents, including home delivery. Activities includes a “Meal of the week” programme which consists of recipe cards, support and provision of ingredients. This is to encourage clients to cook nutritious meals for themselves. There is also a walled garden project allowing clients to grow vegetables in a 2.5 acre plot of land.

Dumfries and Galloway
(regional coverage)

Apex Scotland

This project delivers weekly sessions teaching practical cooking and budgeting skills across the region to the most disadvantaged and isolated within the community. It has expanded its weekly hot food drop-in centre (currently operating in Stranraer) to Dumfries.

Dumfries and Galloway
(regional coverage)

Cheviot Youth

This project consists of a café and Community Food Hub, offering members of the community the opportunity to be involved in the running and direction of the Café. Workshop courses covering Diet & Nutrition, Budget, Shop, Store & Cook and Baking are available for community members, especially those with lived experience of food poverty.

Scottish Borders
(Kelso)

Oasis Food Bank (Redeemed Christian Church of God)

Cookery classes and community meals promoting the social value of food are delivered by volunteers. The project has plans to develop a community garden, growing fresh produce to be used in the preparation of the community meals.

Edinburgh
(Gorgie)

Midlothian Foodbank, Gorebridge Parish Church

This pre-existing food bank, in partnership with the church Community Recycling Project, is developing community meal provision for those at risk of food poverty and social isolation. It is seeking to expand the availability of its emergency food provision, in conjunction with Tesco and their existing ‘Toot for Fruit’ project.

Midlothian
(Gorbridge)

Edinburgh Food Project

This project aims to provide a broader solution to food poverty via a four-week cooking programme for food bank clients, bi-monthly cookery demonstrations and a growing space for clients to learn new skills. The project also offers starter packs of household goods and cooking appliances.

Edinburgh
(City)

The Everlasting Foodbank

This project has been developing a multi-cultural café preparing community meals and offering members of the community the opportunity to be involved in the running and direction of these. The project includes cooking classes which aim to promote the social value of food and provide practical skills development for community members.

Glasgow
(Denniston)

Bethany Christian Trust

This project hosts community meals for rough sleepers over the winter months, as well as providing breakfasts in the Bethany Winter Care Shelter.

Edinburgh
(City)

Yoker Parish Church

This project provides community meals and organises cookery workshops.

Glasgow
(Yoker)

Whitlawburn Community and Resource Centre

This project provides affordable fresh produce and basic foodstuffs to the community two days per week. It works in partnership with the local housing co-operative and food bank, to support those experiencing food poverty.

South Lanarkshire
(Cambuslang and Rutherglen)

Sauchie Active 8

This project is aimed at the whole community, promoting healthy eating. It has been working closely with partners at Clackmannanshire Alliance and Clackmannanshire Healthier Lives to create opportunities for participants to learn how to cook with few ingredients and on a small budget. It has been showing participants how to grow their own produce using the Sauchie allotments and operates a soup kitchen for those in need.

Clackmannanshire

Perth and Kinross Foodbank

This pre-existing food bank has begun to provide cookery classes and community meals.

Perth & Kinross

Moray Foodbank

This food bank has been developing a Community food hub, creating links with local retailers and redistributing food to community cafes, youth clubs etc. within the area. Funding is facilitating the purchase of large freezers, increasing the capacity to take fresh food. Community larders, where users can make their own choices on what to take and cook, are provided.

Moray

Food For Thought West Dunbartonshire

This project provides community meals weekly. Food parcels are available at the meals. Volunteering and training opportunities are provided. One-to-one support is on offer.

West Dunbartonshire

West Dunbartonshire Community Foodshare

WCDF has been an emergency food provider for the last 3.5 years. This project is looking to transition away from this model by providing learning sessions to improve skills and knowledge around growing produce, reducing food bills and cooking healthy, nutritious food using low power and on a budget. Food parcels will continue to be provided. Coffee mornings with a “pay as you feel” approach will be provided.

West Dunbartonshire