A brand new not-for-profit organisation has been launched with the support of numerous UK businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with a view to re-purposing closed restaurant kitchens across the nation, to provide free nutritious meals to those in need.
Individuals set to benefit from the scheme include key workers and anybody who is struggling to maintain a well-rounded diet as a result of physical isolation or financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 lockdown.
Donations are needed to cover the essential running costs for each Open Kitchen with every £1.85 donated enough to provide a single, restaurant-quality meal.
The planned initiative has already received high levels of interest from restaurant owners across the UK wanting to do their bit. George Ktori who runs popular Greek restaurant Yamas in Nottingham city centre was thrilled to learn of the initiative:
“When Open Kitchens came to me, I was immediately on board. It’s important to help in these times and feed those who need it most. We’ve got the equipment and the talented chefs, to volunteer their time and cook fresh meals for those who don’t have access to them.”
“We just hope that we’ll be able to drum up enough support in the way of donations and volunteers, to continue to make this fantastic idea a reality.”
The significant delivery operation required to get meals out to recipients will be solely reliant on a network of volunteers known as “ok Angels”.
If you or someone you know wants to get involved please visit https://openkitchens.co.uk/help
One of the key figures behind the project is Adam Roberts, the founder of the online restaurant guide Go dine and digital marketing agency Go dine digital. Over the past three weeks he has re-focused his team’s work-from-home agenda and galvanised as many business contacts as possible to spring the Open Kitchens into life. Of the project, he says:
“With a client-base made up almost exclusively of restaurants, we knew via the front line and from the knock on effect on our business just how severe the impact of coronavirus was going to be within days of social distancing measures coming into play.”
“In searching for a point of reassurance for everyone involved, we came to realise that the facilities these restaurants already have in place offer huge potential for social good in a climate of isolation and food shortages.”
“To get the idea off the ground as quickly as possible, we got the word out to as many organisations as we could think of in order to pool resources and the response from all angles so far has been phenomenal. Now we are putting everything we have into raising the funds required to get these kitchens up and running.”
Managing Director of Open Kitchens, Alex Grundy; the founder of Cabritski who provide commercial synergy services. From a standing start within a collapsed market the team have pivoted to create unique eco-system, he says:
“What’s great about our model is the simplicity! We’re tapping in to latent surplus capacity across two main pillars in the eco-system, that’s kitchens (supply of meals) and drivers/vehicles (distribution) lying dormant right across the UK. Our platform connects the supply, distribution and demand (charities and vulnerable individuals), real-time by leveraging technology and an army of good will from our team of volunteers.
The pilot in Nottingham has been a huge success and we’ve had some amazing words of appreciation, we’ve delivered 5,000 meals and our funding has gone from £200 a day to £4,000 a day, now at a total of £50,000 that’s over 27,000 meals and without any pro-active marketing. We are now at a point to scale nationally. We have restaurants (plus distribution and beneficiaries) on stand-by which are ready to cook free meals, but it’s all dependent on donations coming in at £1.85 per meal, so the more traction we are able to get, the more people we can help.”
See below for some quotes that we have had from beneficiaries so far:
“Thank you for your kindness and generosity. The chilli really put a smile on our faces which could be seen even through our masks . Thank you x” – Ali Rhodes, Midwife at NHS Queens Medical Centre
“I had the veggie chilli yesterday. It was so good! Thank you” – Annie Berkely-White 🏻
️ NHS Queens Medical centre
“Thank you so much for my lunch. It was delicious! ” – Francoise Bombadil, NHS Queens medical centre
“It is heart-warming to see true human compassion shining through these dark times and we are deeply grateful to Open Kitchens for their incredible support,” -Nottinghamshire YMCA.
“Rebuilding your life after homelessness is a life challenge in itself, but when money is tight and aren’t able to leave your home, the reassurance of knowing that people care enough to ensure you won’t go hungry is indescribably important for a person’s morale, health and sense of wellbeing.” – Nottinghamshire YMCA.
“The safety of our residents is our absolute top priority, and we are reassured to know these are reputable restaurants with strict health and safety checks in place to reduce risks and maximise support for our community’s most vulnerable citizens. If you are a local restaurant or an individual who can sponsor a meal – you can help this scheme to support even more local people. We can get through this pandemic if we pull together.” said Nick Clements, Housing Operations Manager at Nottinghamshire YMCA.
Donate as an individual or organisation via the initiative’s central Just Giving page. Just £1.85 will provide a hearty meal for someone who needs it. Each restaurant will have their own Just Giving page created too, which can all be viewed via the map on openkitchens.co.uk.
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