How you can support us
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roles we regularly need help with
General help
There's always a lot to do behind the scenes.
If you have experience with outreach work and/or managing a similar organisation we'd be particularly interested to hear from you.
Cooks
A popular role. We need cooks to prepare and cook food every evening from 5-8pm. You must have a food hygiene qualification – we can help with this. (This does also involves cleaning the kitchen after use.)
Food donations
To create our balanced meals we regularly swop produce with our trusted network of food banks and regular donors. We need people to help move the food about! You need to have a car to help with this.
Drivers
We have a great, purpose built van to transport the meals and then distribute through the hatch to our customers. We need experienced drivers to drive it round the corner to the distribution site.
Please still get in touch if you think you could help with a role not specifically mentioned here – we always have a lot going on!
What volunteering with us looks like
Preparation, cooking and food hygiene qualifications
We encourage our volunteers to have Level 2 Food Hygiene training. We can help you with this. Please note that cleaning and tidying up after using the kitchen is also part of your responsibilities.
We also need volunteers with their own transport that can help collect and deliver food to and from our kind partners.
Hours and location
We cook and clean in the kitchen from 6 – 8.30pm every day.
Food donations are brought at various times of the day but mainly in the evening.
We donate surplus food to local food banks.
Safeguarding requirement
To uphold our due care and responsibility over our volunteers, we ask everyone to register their attendance and departure.
Delivering and sharing the meals. Outreach work.
We load our purpose-built van at around 7.30pm every evening, then drive to Mission Grove Car Park. We ask our customers to behave politely and form an orderly queue, before opening the van to distribute the meals.
We are looking to develop our outreach offering for our customers and would love to hear from anyone with relevant experience.
Hours and location
We load the van and drive to the Mission Grove Car Park at 7.30-7.45pm every evening.
Sharing the meals happens from 7.30pm until about 8pm, with the van being driven back round the corner to our kitchen at St Michael & All Angels Church.
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How we are doing
Beatrice's story
“I have been volunteering with Christian Kitchen since 2018. It has been a fantastic opportunity, serving and supporting our service users […] to learn from others as a volunteer, as well as an opportunity to get both positive feedback [from the service users] and areas to improve.
We do get feedback about the food and soup, with some service users expressing their appreciation and thanks. [We build a relationship with our customers and] it is amazing when [they] notice a group member is not around.
I have observed the devoted service that volunteers / trustees provide, particularly during Covid-19. Creative ideas were introduced, some of which are still in place, such as packing the food in a bag. Trustees listen to the volunteers in order to address concerns or matters arising and they ensure that volunteers and a driver are available on a daily basis. What a commitment to our service users!
In conclusion, I appreciate the vision of Christian Kitchen and the community; ensuring that our service users have freshly prepared meals, soup and drink. [Sometimes (such as during the Christmas period) even clothes, socks, toiletries and gifts.] Thanks to the Community [both within and outside Waltham Forest], Trustees and Volunteers. Wishing our service users the very best as they go through life’s changes.
Well done Christian Kitchen and God bless.
Beatrice, Christian Kitchen Volunteer, 2025
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Food donations – where to go
We can only accept food that is within its best before date.
Fundraise for us
Planning to run a marathon, having a cake stall, or a table top sale? Perhaps you would like to do this for our charity.
We would love to hear what you have planned. Contact us at: info@christiankitchen.org.uk and we can discuss any extra assets you might need, and let you know the best way to send us any money raised. Thank you.