Get to know Village Kitchen
About Us
Community, food and connection
Village Kitchen is going above and beyond in the Forth Valley community. We’re a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) supporting seniors to access quality, nutritious food while reducing social isolation and loneliness in the community.
We’re based in the beautiful village of Dollar where our dedicated team work on our food-based projects and social events. Our staff are supported by a huge team of wonderful volunteers who keep Village Kitchen running every single day, from cooking fresh meals in our community kitchen to driving them straight to your door! You might also find them running our Lunch Club cafe to whisking our guests on a sightseeing tour on our adapted minibus.
Our history
We started as The Playpen Cafe in 2017 as a play cafe for under 5s and their parents and caregivers to support them to access peer support and nutrition with a safe and interactive play area.
The Covid-19 pandemic reshaped the organisation and we moved over to providing our Meals on Wheels service across Clackmannanshire. This is when we rebranded to Village Kitchen, which encompasses the overall, expansive work we do in the community.
We really get to know you
It’s important for us that we get to know each and every person who needs our support.
Village Kitchen is not just about dropping off food. It’s about going the extra mile to ensure people are connected to good food and supportive social networks.
When we deliver food, we like to stay for a chat and carry out an informal wellness check to make sure recipients are well and that we refer any issues to family members or our partners in the health sector. This genuine peace of mind means family members can take comfort knowing their relative is checked upon and eating well.
Village Kitchen is a welcome social lifeline, connecting people to the community.
Our Social Aims
We aim to improve health and nutrition in people over 65 by increasing access to quality food that is easy to prepare at home or enjoy at our Lunch Club cafe. By doing this, we’re supporting mental health and wellbeing that enables more independence at home and a sense of dignity.
We’re encouraging people to socialise and stay connected to their community with so many different offerings, which is reducing isolation and loneliness in seniors and feedback tells us how valued our work in this area continues to be.
Our Food Policy
At Village Kitchen we always ensure ingredients and standards are of the highest quality to deliver the best possible food that comes out of our kitchen.
Our kitchen is fully accredited by Clackmannanshire Council with a “Pass” certificate that recognises the high standards we achieve. We work with communities and organisations, such as FareShare, Co-op, Dollar Community Development Trust and Dollar Academy, to reduce food waste as well as only using recyclable packaging materials to minimise our carbon footprint.
Our accomplished cooks support the development of our staff and volunteers to make sure they are kept up to date with the latest accreditation and certification with regards to food standards and hygiene.
Our Core Values
Meet our team
Our small and dedicated team help Village Kitchen to consistently deliver for our community, going above and beyond to help those we care for.
Alexandra
Ostroumoff-Croucher
CEO & Founding Director
Alexandra is the reason we’re all here! Alexandra is the founder, chef, chief juggler, funding application writer, you name it!
Kieran Scott
Social Media & Marketing Officer
Social media guru and always looking to share a good news story about Village Kitchen, Kieran is the one whose posts you’ll be reading on Facebook!
Pauline Reynolds
Beneficiary & Volunteer Support Officer
If you have attended our Lunch Club, there’s a very good chance you’ve engaged with our Pauline! Always looking out for others, she’s a superstar!
Carole Harkness
Business Support Officer
A well-known face in Dollar, Carole works hard behind the scenes on funding applications as well as coordinating the delivery of our meals on wheels every week, ensuring meals are shipshape and packed up safely with our volunteer drivers.
