Street food project

Aim

To continue the work we do of providing a warm, safe place to be and providing meals for our community who are effected by poverty.

I

The Story of Growing Links Street Food Project

Twelve years ago, a small group of us at Growing Links began serving hot meals opposite the train station to people in Penzance who had nowhere else to turn. There were no grand plans, no funding bids, no staffing structures — just a simple belief that no one in our community should go hungry, and that everyone deserves warmth, dignity, and compassion.

What began as a handful of volunteers with a few pots of food and a wobbly table, has grown into the Street Food Project, a lifeline relied upon by hundreds of vulnerable adults every month. Over the years we have watched the need grow, the weather worsen, and the pressures on people intensify — but what has never changed is our commitment to showing up, every day, without fail.

At the Street Food Project, people don’t just come for a meal.
They come because it’s a place where they are safe, seen, and welcomed without judgement.
Where someone remembers their name.
Where they can get a hot shower, clean socks, a warm drink, and a meal made with care.
Where they can laugh, talk, cry, or simply sit in peace.

Many of the people who come to us are living in tents, doorways, cars, or damp temporary rooms. Some are fleeing violence. Some are coping with trauma, illness, or addiction. Some are simply lonely and need human connection. Whoever they are, whatever they are carrying, they are met with kindness.

Today, we provide around 1,500 meals every month — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — along with laundry, showers, basic essentials, phone and internet access, and support to connect with housing and wellbeing services. We are open nine hours a day, from 8:30am to 6pm, because the need has never been greater.

And through it all — the storms, the funding cuts, the relocations, the bureaucratic battles — we’ve always been there.

But right now, we are facing the biggest challenge in our 12-year history.

In April, a sudden funding cut removed 85% of our income, almost overnight. We lost the contract that had kept the project stable for years. Half our staff had to be made redundant. The remaining team had their hours drastically reduced. We have carried on by sheer determination, because the alternative was unthinkable.

Yet the demand has only grown. Food insecurity is rising. Homelessness is rising. The number of people turning up at our door grows week by week.

We now have enough money to keep going only until January.

For the first time since we began, the Street Food Project is at risk of closure — leaving hundreds of vulnerable people without support.

But there is hope.

We have a plan. We have a dedicated community. We have a building that may soon be secured for five years. We have volunteers, growers, cooks, and supporters who care deeply. And most importantly — we have you.

Growing Links Street Food Project has survived for 12 years because this community believes everyone deserves dignity.
We’re asking you to help us ensure it survives the next 12.

Call to Action

We are asking our community to stand with us now. Please donate to our Crowdfunder—every pound you give will be match-funded by Aviva, doubling your impact instantly. Your support today will help keep the doors open, keep the meals cooking, keep the showers running, and keep hundreds of people safe, warm, and cared for. Please give what you can and share our Crowdfunder widely. Together, we can secure the future of the Street Food Project and ensure it continues to be a lifeline for those who need it most.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made