Be Enriched is a community organisation that focusses on developing community, reducing social isolation using the medium of, mainly, surplus food. We have always stayed away from the terms foodbank, soup kitchen and the misguided belief that we are reducing food poverty through utilisation of food waste because these are institutional issues that can only be changed through national policy governmental change.
Our community meals, which run at lunch or dinnertime, bring everyone to the same table, levelling the playing field. We treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter where they are coming from. Volunteers cook and serve 3 course meal guided by our professional chefs. Guests receive a warm welcome on arrival and table service to feel nurtured and looked after, sometimes the only time in the week this happens. No one ever sits alone and people gain respect for each other and community is developed. We all eat together.
The last 14 months however put a huge pause on our main work. Closing our community canteens was an emotional and difficult decision to make. It has meant enforcing social isolation for this very elongated period of time. These are people we have spent around 6 years building trust and relationships with, providing a safe space for those most marginalised to go to weekly.
We tried to maintain a level of contact with all our regular guests and others by delivering the statuary food aid parcels to the shielded list and others whom were known to us to be vulnerable. What we quickly realised is receiving free a box of food with the content decided by others, was not incredibly dignified and often we had returns of food that didn’t suit peoples diets due to culture, health or religion. So, after the first lockdown we joined forces with Brixton People’s Kitchen and reassembled ourselves into a community shop. This allowed people to come and choose the food they wanted to eat. Limiting the offer to healthy options has allowed us to influence but not dictate diets. Our community shop charges a nominal fee of £5-£10 keeping food low in cost not only allows customers regain the dignity that a transaction brings, but they have told us that they have been able to try foods that in the past have been too expensive.
This has been very popular with local people with over 270 families a week popping in for a shop. But the success of this project is also a double-edged sword as our landlord has just served us notice to replace us as with a commercial outfit.
We are of course eager to return to our community meals model. We cannot wait to bring together or volunteers and guests, get everyone together and break bread with them again. Eating together is one of the most natural things that people can do after all.
Shoutout to Kemi, CEO and Founder of Be Enriched for taking the time to write this blog.