A community cafe in Oban is offering food and friendship to help others manage in the cost of living crisis.
Hope Kitchen service manager Beth Campbell wants everyone to know what the cafe can offer so they can go in for help, or be signposted to other places around Argyll willing to be on hand for those in hardship or crisis.
She believes there are still people in the community who could ask for support from its foodbank or cafe, and don’t.
The community cafe and community hub is part of the wider work of Hope Kitchen in Oban, and it also runs Green Shoots Community Garden.
Mrs Campbell, who was a nurse for many years before becoming a cook, is bracing the cafe for the difficulties that are yet to come.
Things have been tough for people
She said: “Things have been tough for people, we have families and individuals who come to us for help.
“The majority of us are, at most, two pay packets away from having nothing. Over the pandemic we were very busy at Hope Kitchen. Although many people were furloughed and got 80% of their wages, it was the 20 % that bought the food and fuel for their homes. In some cases it is 90% – the margins are so small for people.
“People simply do not have extra money.
“So people were scraping together to find money to pay for food. So yes, we were very busy. And I expect that we will be very busy again as people struggle to find the money for their own families when the cost of living continues to rise and people’s wages don’t.”
To help Hope Kitchen has published two books: one signposting to agencies and services available in Oban and Argyll, and another full of recipes.
She said: “We give people tins of food from here and I often think that there is very little that most people will do with them.
“They will open the tin of stew, the potatos and the peas and they will have one meal.
“I am always encouraging anyone picking up a foodbank pack to do a little bit more. They can add spaghetti to the stew and with a tin of tomato and a few spices turn it into bolognese that may do for more than one meal.
“There are recipes in the book to help people spice up what they are doing.”
Mrs Campbell said the community cafe, through its foodbank, caters for people who have food intolerances and preferences. She said: “We look for the things that people will want to take away and eat, and give them things they like.
People don’t come back enough
“And while we signpost them to get help elsewhere, they can come back as often as they like for help. Some people do not come back enough.”
Mrs Campbell works alongside six colleagues and 37 volunteers. Volunteers range in age from 21 to people in their 80s.
Anyone who needs a seat at the table gets one. She said: “We serve about 20 people every day we are open, Monday to Friday for lunch, and we serve an evening meal on Tuesday and Friday. We ask people to use our services as they would a cafe and we ask them to pay a minimum donation of £1, or more if they can, to enjoy a meal with us.
“It is always warm, and there is always someone to sit and talk to.”
Mrs Campbell said that there are various groups of people who use the cafe at other times.
One of the initiatives of Hope Kitchen is the Greenshoots Community Garden in the grounds of Glencruitten House on the outskirts of Oban.
People learn new skills
She said: “We have a garden where we grow fresh vegetables, and we encourage people who would like to to be part of that, to volunteer in the garden.
“People learn new skills and over time they find new friends and new interests. We, of course, use any of the produce that it is grown in the kitchen.”
Mrs Campbell says there is always a need for more support for the community cafe, the foodbank and its work – and invites people to make a regular donation – or an offer to help other people.
She said: “I grew up on a croft. We grew up with nothing. We had to make do with what we had, what we could grow, what we had in the house.
“We were not well off and we survived and thrived.
“I just want to make sure we pass on those skills to other people. I hope that people get as much out of the community cafe and garden, and if there is anything we can help with – all people need to do is ask.”
Help keep families fed and warm this winter
The Big Christmas Food Appeal is working to highlight the work going on in our communities to help others, like Hope Kitchen.
The Press and Journal campaign also aims to debunk some of the myths around food poverty, and make sure readers know where they can go for help.
We’ve teamed up with Cfine, which supports foodbanks across Grampian and the Highlands, to collect donations of food and money. However, we want to showcase the efforts of the other tireless groups, charities and volunteers helping to keep their communities fed this winter. If you know a group we should highlight, get in touch.
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