Pay What You Can community cafe opens in Stokes Croft

Pay What You Can community cafe opens in Stokes Croft

Posted on: 27 Jul 2020

The new community hub will help provide continued support for homeless and vulnerable people in central Bristol.

 

The Stokes Croft Food Project have today (Monday 27 July) opened their Pay What You Can Community Cafe, a new community hub for Stokes Croft set up to support people in need.

 

Located on Jamaica Street, the cafe will be serving up hot food and drinks from 12:00 to 14:00, Monday to Friday. 

 

Customers are asked to pay what they can in order to allow the team to provide free meals to members of the community who might otherwise go hungry.

The Stokes Croft Food Project team.

After a few weeks of preparation and a fundraising drive that has seen more than £2,000 donated so far, the Stokes Croft Food Project have officially launched their new cafe in the hopes of building on their efforts to tackle hunger and food poverty in the area.

 

A collaboration between the People's Republic of Stokes Croft and Jamaica Street Stores, supported by the Bristol Food Union, the Pay What You Can Cafe is intended for everyone to make use of, regardless of budget.

 

The 'pay what you can' model relies on the compassion of the community, so that those who can afford to spend slightly more on their order can subsidise free meals for others. 

 

Launched in April in response to the coronavirus crisis, the Stokes Croft Food Project has been providing free meals to people across central Bristol every Tuesday and Sunday throughout lockdown, with more than 3,700 meals prepared and delivered so far.

 

 

Speaking on the opening of the cafe, the SCFP team said: "we have chosen the Pay What You Can model to allow us to continue providing mouth-watering and nutritious meals to the economically vulnerable, while expanding our offer in an inclusive and sustainable way.

 

"This project builds on the mutual aid principle that has allowed so many people in Bristol to make it through the pandemic. We don’t need top-down charity to 'help the needy' – we need strong, well-fed and resilient communities that support one another."

 

Coronavirus safety precautions mean the cafe will be opened for takeaway only for now, but the team hope to open it up to become a shared eating space and an affordable community hub in the coming weeks.

 

Part of the space will also be made available as a food bank, where people can either donate or request groceries.

 

Despite the gradual reopening of places like shops, pubs and restaurants, the fallout of the coronavirus is affecting and will continue to affect thousands of homeless and vulnerable people across Bristol.

 

As well as the growing number of homeless people and rough sleepers in Bristol, households who have lost income as a result of the crisis are struggling to receive adequate financial aid, and now require more support from the public.

 

Donations are still needed to support the Stokes Croft Food Project's efforts to tackle hunger in Bristol and support vulnerable people.

 

To find out how you can support the project, head to the SCFP website or visit their crowdfunding page. For more information, or to enquire about volunteering opportunities, contact the team via email.

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Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.