Cooking Champions founder Clare Donovan on how the charity is supporting local people who have fallen on hard times

Visitors to the community kitchen in Ponders End get chopping

Cooking Champions began as a small, heartfelt initiative based at my own flat in March 2020 as a response to the Covid-19 crisis. Now, it has grown into a hub of hope and support for a community facing significant challenges.

Since those early days, we’ve reached incredible milestones: 70,000 meals prepared, over 25,000 bags of food delivered, and hundreds of cooking lessons offered to both children and adults. And the impact doesn’t stop there. This year, Cooking Champions marked 250 consecutive weeks of running its foodbank.

While we dream of a world where foodbanks aren’t necessary and we could solely focus on food education and training, the harsh reality is that many of our community continue to struggle with food insecurity. Factors like mental and physical health challenges, homelessness, domestic violence, and financial hardship mean that demand for support remains high.

Behind the success of Cooking Champions is an extraordinary team of staff and volunteers who pour their hearts into the cause every week. Their dedication, compassion and determination ensures Cooking Champions is a safe space for everyone who comes through our doors.

We know our recipients by name, we know their families. For many, we’re people’s weekly check-in. We offer a source of stability and care in lives that often lack support elsewhere.

Our foodbank is just one element of the range of food based services we provide. Our kitchen team makes delicious meals for community lunches twice a week and we host lessons and sessions to increase people’s confidence and skills, while providing a space to connect with others.

We are heading into 2025 with mixed emotions. Christmas was a big success delivering meals and hosting a community lunch on Christmas day. The team has big plans that focus around expanding our meal provision, connecting with more community groups, continuing to work with local schools and redeveloping our kitchen garden.

Yet, with all this ambition comes a daunting challenge: raising £10,000 every month to keep our vital services running. We have the expertise, the venue and the motivation, but we need that funding to ensure no one in need is ever turned away.

You can help by setting up a monthly direct debit to help us plan for the future, volunteering with us through one of the many opportunities to get involved, and checking out our non-profit food business Seren for all your catering needs.

And if you would like to see what we’re about, look out for updates about our fifth anniversary open evening in March where we’ll showcase our work and share our vision for the future.

Cooking Champions has become a vital thread in the fabric of Enfield. With the support of our partners, friends and the public, we hope to ensure this lifeline continues to thrive.

Anyone in need of support can get in touch with Cooking Champions:
Call 07598 675 595
Email [email protected]
Visit cookingchampions.uk

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