Cafe ReCharge CIC

Aim

We're opening a Pay What You Can Cafe in Galashiels using unsold supermarket produce, reducing the gap between food poverty and food waste.

Who Are We?

Hi, we are Amy and Amanda two mums from the Scottish Borders who have bonded over a mutual love of creative budget cooking and bringing communities together. We though we would combine all of these in one venture...Cafe ReCharge!

What's The Problem?

Every year over 10 million tonnes of food and drink are thrown away in the U.K.  Around two-thirds of this is perfectly edible food that when left to rot in landfill produces methane, which, in May, the BBC reported poses a greater environmental impact than the disposal of plastics. 

Yet last year it was reported that the Scottish Borders had  the highest percentage rise in food bank usage of any local authority area in Scotland, an increase of a whopping 329% on the previous year.  

In the current economic climate it is not only unemployed people using food banks. There are increasing numbers of working families that are struggling to make ends meet and achieve food security. 

There's a massive gap and between food waste and food poverty. We aim to reduce it with Cafe ReCharge!

How Will We Make a Difference?

Cafe ReCharge is a surplus food initiative. We want to open A Pay What You Can cafe in central Galashiels to offer people with different incomes a space to socialise together with no feeling of shame or inequality. 

We will use the unsold supermarket produce and turn it into good quality, healthy food to provide inexpensive family-friendly meals served in an inclusive and welcoming town centre cafe by friendly staff and volunteers.  

Good Food For All 

Meals will be offered on a ‘Pay What You Can’ (PWYC) basis ensuring that the whole  community can reap the health and social benefits of eating together regardless of their income. Studies show that when asked to Pay What You Can, many people will actually pay more than market value. We also strongly believe in the good of humankind. That when faced with the option to pay a little more for your food in order that someone more in need can pay a little less people are happy to do so.

It's Not A Free Lunch 

However food is not free. It takes time and energy to create, serve, collect and store and electricity and services to operate a cafe. This is not free.  We're already raising money catering for events and pop-ups, and our aim is to diversify in order to bring in cash and can offer eco friendly  outside catering for small events, parties and business lunches to subsidise these. We will also have space to rent out within the cafe for those requiring a private space for their event .

Gap In Gala.

We need this crowdfunder to open up the kind of cafe Galashiels deserves. With comfy sofas to relax on, welcoming staff, friendly volunteers, free wifi, healthy, fresh and delicious food, that's affordable for everyone is family centred and able to offer cookery classes, family board game evenings, afternoon teas, lazy Sunday brunches. All this while knowing you are helping the planet by reducing carbon emissions and supporting your whole community. Sounds like a great deal for a small donation.   

Where You Come In.

Please help us on our journey and donate what you can to help us achieve our goal to open in January. The money will be used to fo some minor work to the property to transform it into a beautiful cafe including some electrical and plumbing work and new floor coverings in some areas. We also need to purchase everything for the interior from paint and crockery to tables and chairs. The more we raise the better we can equip the cafe from the start and offer more services. 

 Together we can reduce the gap between food poverty and food waste. And most importantly...Don’t skip lunch.

This project successfully funded on 10th January 2020