Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts Feeds Edinburgh

by Empty Kitchens Full Hearts in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

We did it

On 30th July 2020 we successfully raised £8,224 with 164 supporters in 56 days

To provide hot meals to as many people as we can, to prevent food insecurity, and look after our volunteers in these uncertain times.

by Empty Kitchens Full Hearts in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Food and Drink, Community

New stretch target

In four months, the need for our services has increased dramatically. We went from providing 4,000 meals per week at the beginning of May, to 11,000 per week at the beginning of July. And there’s no sign that we’ll be slowing down any time soon. That’s why we need your help.

The operational costs of packaging and delivering 11,000 meals per week are substantial.

The majority of our food is donated, but more and more people rely on our services so our miscellaneous costs are also growing daily.

Everything you donate will go directly to feeding people in need. If you can help us sustain our communities, even in a small way, we’d be incredibly grateful.

Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts (EKFH) is a group of volunteer chefs who, in the midst of great uncertainty in their industry, set concerns for their own future aside to focus on helping improve the lives of others.

EKFH's model is simple. With kitchens being forced to empty, chefs forced out of work, food rotting in warehouses and people everywhere facing increased food insecurity through financial difficulty, they decided to take action.

So Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts was born.

We deliver ‘day packs’ - breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks - straight to the doors of those who need them, and additionally serve over 100 hot meals per day to walk-in guests.

Since lockdown began we have distributed over 90,000 meals totally free of charge without any government or corporate funding.

We don’t means-test our clients, and operate on the trust that in Edinburgh in 2020 if someone is asking for help accessing food, that's all the 'proof' we need.

Although the majority of our food is donated and we're entirely run by volunteers, we do incur costs from packaging for the 8,000+ meals we provide per week, PPE equipment for our volunteers, fuel to deliver 350+ meals per day and other operational costs.

We have secured long term premises at Leith Theatre and have been operating from there for two weeks. We have already delivered 16,000 meals from this location alone, and the numbers continue to increase.

EKFH is entirely funded by generous community donations and the support of local businesses.

If you or anyone you know in Edinburgh are struggling with safe access to food please email us at [email protected] or call us on 07895 347157. We are also providing FREE hot lunch and dinner every day outside Leith Theatre, 28-30 Ferry Road, EH6 4AE .

Lunch: 11:30-12:30
Dinner 16:30-17:30

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Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£50 or more

Featured

Feed a family of 4 for a fortnight

£50 will cover most of our costs to produce 4 packs of 3 meals for a family of 4 for a fortnight.

£25 or more

Feed a family of 4 for a week

£25 will cover most of our costs to produce 4 packs of 3 meals for a family of 4 for a week.

£30 or more

8 of 1000 claimed

Chef's treat

This will cover most of our costs to produce 4 packs of 3 meals for a family of 4 for a week. And we'll throw in one of our special treats. We ahve over 20 incredible chefs so when ever we have time and extra food we let them get creative and produce products such us ferments and preserves. We'll send one to you where postage of £5 will allow.

£100 or more

Feed a family of 4 for a Month

£100 will cover most of our costs to produce 4 packs of 3 meals for a family of 4 for a month.

£500 or more

Shield a fellow citizen

Not to sound dramatic... £500 pounds will cover all the costs for us to feed a shielding citizen 3 meals a day for a year. This would mean they don't need to choose between risking infection for food or going to bed hungry.

£10,000 or more

0 of 5 claimed

Become a Food Hero

With over 1000 meals being sent a day we are in need of as much assistance as we can get. £10,000 will save lives. It would cover the cost of feeding over 200 vulnerable citizens for a month. In addition to this you'll be able to dedicate one of our 10,000 meal markers to a personal hero of your own and we'll send you so many preserves, ferments and treats that guests will think you've become some kind of hippie.

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