Fulham Football Club and the Fulham FC Foundation are delighted to have teamed up with events catering company Dinner Ladies to support the opening of a community kitchen at the London Rowing Club on the Putney Embankment, a short distance from Craven Cottage.
Dinner Ladies will be running a community kitchen and, with the help of local volunteers, will be cooking nutritious meals from the generous supply of produce donated via the Dons Local Action Group, that will be delivered by City Harvest to vulnerable people in the community to support them during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis.
The Club and Foundation are supporting by raising awareness, introducing local partners to support with the logistics, and develop operational plans with the London Rowing Club.
In order to reach a goal of cooking 500 meals per week, Dinner Ladies is seeking kitchen volunteers at the London Rowing Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as donations to support the running of the community kitchen.
Dinner Ladies would normally be operating out of the London Rowing Club, cooking and running 20 events a week. During Covid-19, with all upcoming events being cancelled, they have looked at ways they can help their local community in relation to food and consumption by putting together a few initiatives to make it easier for people staying at home but still wanting to eat healthily.
They have developed new cocooning menus and packages, where anyone within London can order dishes delivered to their door from their weekly changing menu. The food focuses on getting fresh and locally grown produce into nourishing food that can be repurposed into more than one meal.
Another initiative is putting together weekly food supply boxes with a range of ingredients including protein, fresh fruit & vegetables and carbohydrates, alongside ideas for recipes and how people can make the whole box last a week. Free, no contact delivery to the local community is being offered to help families get the food they need whilst staying safe and staying at home.
In order to support those that need it the most, a fundraising Just Giving page has been set up which allows those that buy meals to donate towards ingredients that they use to cook meals for key workers and the vulnerable. Each of their private deliveries gets the option to ‘feed a friend’ and donate £5 towards the scheme. To encourage a chain of caregiving, the Dinner Ladies are donating to the fund on your behalf if you buy one of their care packages for a friend.
So far, meals have been delivered to NHS staff starting long night shifts at Kings College & St Thomas’ hospitals, as well as St George’s mental hospitals in Barnes and Twickenham, Royal Marsden hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, North Middlesex trusts, Epsom & St Helier community teams, Hammersmith & Fulham Mental health and Camden & Islington mental health teams.
Additionally, 260 homeless people isolating in hotels, still on the streets and in temporary accommodation have been fed so far.
Fulham FC Foundation CEO, Mike McSweeney, said: "We are delighted to be partnering with another local community sports organisation and Dinner Ladies in supporting people in our community. Fulham Football Club and the Fulham FC Foundation continue to engage with many people, with additional needs during these difficult times. This initiative is a great example of a multi-partner collaboration assisting those most in need.”
To donate to Community Kitchen please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dinner-ladies?utm_term=4PMN46JG5
To make a donation, however small, to support the work of the Fulham FC Foundation, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fulhamfc-foundation
Contact: stiritup@dinnerladiesltd.com