Open Door Community Kitchen 2024-2025

Open Door Community Kitchen provides fresh hot meals and a safe space to those struggling with food insecurity in East London.

Since reopening in March 2023, our community has grown to the point where we now serve roughly 80 guests per week. The guests don’t just enjoy the benefit of a hot meal, but also the joy and comfort of being part of a community. We have board games, and arts and crafts and encourage volunteers to befriend guests.

Amid the ongoing housing crisis, and the number of homeless people across the UK soaring, the need for this kind of project is greater than ever. A space like ODCK is key not just in fighting food poverty, but also to have an open safe space for people to spend time in. This can be especially crucial for families living in temporary accommodation who have very limited space and few options to take children after school finishes. But also for people who are isolated, lonely, or struggling with inadequate accommodation.

We are hoping to raise enough to last us for the next year, which should cost about £10000. This will allow us to, continue running, but also make improvements to our service. Whether that be upgrading our cooking equipment, allowing us to cater to more guests, or expanding the activities we offer on a Friday.

Please help us as we endeavour to maintain the special community that we have established in Dalston, and continue to fight against food insecurity and poverty in our local area.

Here’s a bit more about the history of the project:-

In June 2019, with the pandemic in full swing, we were becoming increasingly shocked by reports on food insecurity across the UK. Especially as increasing numbers of shelters and support centers were being forced to close because of social distancing requirements. At the same time, they knew many of their friends and families were both desperate to help, and were lucky enough to have the time and resources to do so. Open Door Community Kitchen (ODCK) was then born.

Based out of a donated kitchen in East London, ODCK team started cooking 250 meals a week for homeless people in the greater London Area. Based on their key concept: everyone deserves a ‘hot, nutritious and above all else; delicious meal,’ the team got to work cooking seasonally inspired meals. It was difficult at first, the majority of the team had never cooked en masse before. However, after a few practice runs, and an amazing team of volunteers who turned out week after week to help, they mastered so many dishes- from curries to burritos to dumplings to stews. They also started collecting delicious baked goods from the local community, driven by the belief that everyone deserves a sweet treat to finish off their meal. Over the next two years, the team raised 11,000 pounds, cooked 16,000 meals, and worked with 800 amazing volunteers.

We then took a small hiatus and reopened in March 2023. The approach this time was different. We set up tables and chairs in the hall of the church we were cooking from and welcomed guests in situ. This had the huge advantage of offering guests a warm safe place to hang out every Friday, and the joy and comfort of a friendly community.