IT was a food project born out of necessity when lockdown left families and individuals struggling to put food on the table.
Furloughed from their employment or facing cuts in hours or nursing staff find it hard to make ends meet, Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts stepped in and plugged a gap in food poverty.
And today the Edinburgh-based project has hit a milestone they hoped they would never have to reach: delivering one million meals to those who need it.
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While proud of the army of volunteers who helped them deliver hundreds of meals every day, it is with a heavy heart that they have to mark this milestone at all.
Going through a tonne of pasta and over a tonne of onions each month, Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts is continuing to feed around 1,100 people every day by delivering day packs of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. More than 100 hot meals are also served every day from their home within the Leith Theatre, where they've been situated since last July.
Volunteers helped Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts going
This service requires around 3,500 volunteer hours each week in delivery riders and drivers, chefs, kitchen porters, packers and hot food servers. And, as lockdown eases and many volunteers return to work, the charity is calling for volunteers to step forward and join the team. Volunteers are returning to their fields of work including hospitality which has been opening up gradually.
Hatty Webster, a volunteer with Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts said knowing they are able to make a difference keeps her going.
"I started volunteering at Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts during the first lockdown. Sitting at home day after day, doing the same things, without human interaction, was badly affecting my mental health, so I looked into local volunteering opportunities," said Ms Webster. "Simply feeling useful and knowing that my time was being spent valuably has benefitted my overall wellbeing so much during what's been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, no matter your circumstances. Being able to serve our clients hot food and knowing I may be providing some of the only human interaction they have that day means the world to me and I know what a difference I'm making to their lives. It's genuinely incredibly rewarding work and feels amazing to be part of this community, especially as we mark our one millionth meal."
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In April 2020, local chefs out of work due to the Covid-19 pandemic banded together to form the charity which offered a free meal service for those struggling to feed themselves. Organisers said with many hospitality staff out of work, the kitchen provided a sense of purpose for many who had previously led busy lives, all while tackling food waste by turning surplus food from local businesses into healthy, delicious meals.
Volunteers have kept the charity going
Mike, a volunteer at Empty Kitchen, Full Hearts and a chef of more than 20 years said: "The process of feeding hungry people with surplus food by keeping out-of-work chefs like myself occupied, has always seemed like one of those ideas that was so simple yet so genius, it just completely made sense to me. Volunteering at Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts personally gave me so much more though, it has brought me enjoyment as an antidote to the anxieties around the Covid-19 situation, a sense of structure in a world seemingly out of control and it has also provided me the opportunity to create social connections in a world of enforced isolation."
Even before lockdown struck people had already become reliant on foodbanks. According to the 2019 Scottish Health Survey showed that 9% of adults experienced food insecurity in the preceding 12 months.
A project spokesman added: "In 2020, the need for foodbanks and similar services doubled compared to the previous year. Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts is more needed than ever, going from providing 7,500 meals per week in June last year to 23,000 per week now. Demand for the service has more than trebled. In one of the wealthiest cities in the world, the disparity is stark."
One client sent in this message of gratitude for the volunteers: "I would like to thank you for the meals that have been delivered. Things were extremely hard and these meals really helped me stay in the routine of eating healthy and keeping me motivated. You guys work so hard and I just wanted to say how grateful I am for all the work you all do."
With hospitality and other sectors re-open, Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts has found itself with around 50 percent of the volunteers it needs to run smoothly and provide food for it's clients.
If you can help Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts, please visit their website: www.emptykitchens.co.uk.
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