The lighthouse community cafe

The Lighthouse Community Cafe is situated in Market Street, Hednesford, where we have created a safe space for people to meet and greet, to make new friends and reduce isolation.

Our journey began nearly 7 years ago as a Soup Kitchen in Cannock, providing a hot drink and a meal to those in need ie. Rough sleepers and vulnerable adults. We have evolved from this, and as Key Workers during covid, providing surplus food donations to our community during that difficult time. Nearly 3 years ago we needed a base to run our service from as it expanded, and The Lighthouse Community Cafe was born, May 2022.

We have managed thus far with donations from various charitable organisations, and by asking for a minimal donation from those that access our service. This is to help us cover the overheads, rent and bills which we all have to pay, no matter what!

What follows is the schedule of opening times and what we offer as a service for our community. In order to keep this alive we need your help, to help others less fortunate than ourselves. Everyone is welcome at our café, also known as TLC, our doors are open to all, and those in a better position can also access the reduced prices, but are invited to donate a little extra for our PAY IT FORWARD scheme, that can help cover a meal for someone not in a position to pay. It is a much needed service and we hope with your help we can continue to support our community.

We provide a hot meal each Tuesday and Thursday from 12pm-2pm, a DROP IN on Fridays 12pm - 3pm, offering a cold service, sandwiches and drinks, and all day Breakfasts every Saturday 10-2pm.

Each market day (the first Saturday each month) we open from 10 til 3pm, where again we offer all day breakfasts, some lovely home made cakes by the team, including Cream Teas and Afternoon Teas.

We also hold a community food table indoors, each Sunday afternoon 12pm til 1pm.

We are not your every day café. We do not have a set menu. We are a fully fledged Community Café, run by a team of volunteers, that give their time generously to run the service. We offer a Specials Menu each day we open, utilising the surplus donations we receive, nutritious and filling home cooking. The majority of the food we provide and use for meals are allocated surplus donations from local supermarkets, collected each day by our hard working volunteers, which includes fresh veg, fruit, bread and ambient items. This is put out on display each day we are open as a Community Food Table. This is free for the community to access, but donations are also welcome, which helps us to meet our overheads.

We have a Community pantry indoors that stocks ambient food, ie. tins, pasta, sauces etc. Again, kindly donated from the community and local supermarkets.

We also continue to sign post rough sleepers to the relevant services. We support them with food, and essential living items.

Every little helps. TIA

THE TEAM

THE LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CAFE