Cup of Kindness Project: Community Cafe

Who are we?

We are a community cafe supporting many people with many needs including mental health, poverty, isolation, asylum matters, family breakdown and homelessness. 

Our open door ensures all feel welcome and can use our space to keep warm, get hot food, access an emergency food provision, obtain advice and advocacy and to receive free mental health and counselling.  We are saving and changing lives day in, day out and creating strong communities within communities and everlasting peer support groups. 

Community impact

People cannot afford to live full and enriched lives and are genuinely choosing between eating and putting the heating on. We have people coming in every day in despair with high debts,  changes to work hours, poor physical and mental health. Without us many people would not leave their house and would go without food, company or help.  

We know that cases of self-harm and suicide are continuing to rise and criteria for support within statutory services are ever increasing making it harder and harder for people to get the help that they so desperately need and deserve. 

Our food poverty mission is ensuring that families are getting fed and children are not going to school hungry as we know that this has a detrimental impact on their education and attainment levels. In addition when we have identified that poverty is an issue we look at how else we can support such as uniforms, books and travel. We leave no stone un-turned as we know the impact this has upon peoples mental health.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our bills are rising, the electric bill and rent far outweigh the funds that come in via our cafe and we run at a loss most weeks.  We cant close though as our cafe though as we know how much people rely on us and need our company, advice and that of the other customers who also come in. 

We feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to crowdfund and have the added benefit of match funding - it will make a world of difference to our cafe. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

This money will help us to keep the doors open. We will be able to keep the kettle on and ensure a warm and safe place remains available to those that rely on us so much. This will help us to purchase essentials such as refreshments and food and purchase dietary foods such as gluten free, halal or vegan ensuring equal access to great food for all