Our Story
Village Kitchen was established in 2017 as Playpen Café whose aims were to support families with children under 5 living in Clackmannanshire. The Covid Pandemic in 2019 forced us to put this work indefinitely on hold while the world waited and watched unprecedented events unfold.
It was at this time our team decided to adapt and repurpose our assets to support seniors in our community, who were most vulnerable to coronavirus and were initially being advised to shield and shelter at home. Our meals on wheels project was born, and with the support of our local community and community partners we sent out hundreds of meals each week. It was a such a challenging time for everyone, but it was amazing to see the community come together and join our mission, building what would become a huge community team of volunteers.
This work has continued to thrive and grow as it soon became clear there was a greater need for our services outwith the boundaries of the pandemic. We had found a vast number of seniors at home, most in their 80s and 90s, many living alone, and many with a variety of health issues and physical impairments. They really benefited from our easy-to-prepare meals and having a friendly chat with our drivers – often the only person they would see in a day or more.
As soon as we were able we began to invite our beneficiaires to a safe social café environment – our Lunch Club! There they are treated to a 3 course meal and often live entertainment. Our friendly volunteers mingle and chat with our guests making sure they feel welcome and relaxed.
This work has continued to thrive and grow as it soon became clear there was a greater need for our services outwith the boundaries of the pandemic. We had found a vast number of seniors at home, most in their 80s and 90s, many living alone, and many with a variety of health issues and physical impairments. They really benefited from our easy-to-prepare meals and having a friendly chat with our drivers – often the only person they would see in a day or more.
