OUR AIM & CURRENT SUPPORT
The Well-being Café was set up in August 2022. This idea of this was to provide a space in Okehampton where people could go who were struggling with their mental health & well-being and to provide a community hub where people could meet friends and access practical support. The café offers support to all members of the community in Okehampton and the surrounding hamlets & offers a place of safety, social interaction, access to therapeutic activities and practical support. A key aim is to make Okehampton and district a suicide safer community.
Since opening, we now support people each week who are struggling with their mental health, well-being, food poverty, homelessness, loneliness, isolation, abuse and addiction. We provide soup vouchers which are available at the food bank, at local churches and from ourselves and also run a pay-it-forward scheme so anyone who comes in to us who has not had a hot meal recently, or needs access to food in short term we can provide this. We have fed numerous individuals in Okehampton who were homeless & supported them to access emergency housing.
Testimonials -
'Over the last 6 months I have been street homeless...during this time The Well-being Cafe has been unconditionally supportive. This drop in has relentlessly fed me lovely home-made soup. Also, it has been a place of peace and calm where I can meet like minded people in the community.'
'The Well-being Cafe isn't just a cafe for me, it's a safe place. No matter what troubles life throws at me, I know the cafe, the staff and the customers are there for me. I know that it's not just a job for them, they truly care and I see that in every staff member here.'
'The Well-being Cafe means everything to me...I always feel safe here'
'The Well-being Cafe is so much more than just a cafe'
OUR TEAM
Between the staff team we have over 90 years over experience supporting people with a mental health diagnosis, personal experience of mental health struggles & are all trained (ASSIST, Connect 5, Mental Health First Aid, and many more) to provide the best environment for those who are currently struggling.
HOW WE WILL USE THIS MONEY
The money we receive will go directly towards increasing the amount of free soup and drinks we are providing to those in the community in food poverty. Whether this is buying more ingredients or helping us with the energy costs.
Just £5 will provide one person with a big bowl of homemade soup, a nice bread roll & a drink of their choice!