STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen is named as one of the winners of No. 10's Big Society Awards:
On Wednesday 06 February 2013 on the Downing Street website it was announced that STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen was one of twelve winners of No. 10's Big Society Awards. Clearly we are thrilled and honoured to win this award as it affirms that everything we do at STAK is about Big Society within our local community. This award follows on from our success at being chosen as Cornwall Community Foundation's "Community Group of the Year" in 2011 and winning "The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service" in 2012. STAK is absolutely committed to helping the vulnerable, socially isolated and homeless within St Austell, the wider community and across the county to improve their lives to the extent that they are comfortable with.
Details of the award can be found by following this link: http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/st-austell-community-kitchen-wins-big-society-award/
What do we do:
STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen has been supporting the vulnerable, needy and homeless within our community for about twenty five years. Initially this was serving soup out of a mobile home to street homeless clients, but after relocation in various buildings over the years STAK started providing hot meals at an affordable price, and began working with one or two like minded groups in St Austell. About ten years ago STAK located to subsidised premises in the Baptist church and was regularly feeding about a dozen people at lunchtime, four times a week.
In early 2010 the church needed their premises to run other projects and STAK faced being made homeless themselves! A new group of trustees (all volunteers) was brought on board, new rented premises were secured, and due to the radical overhaul of support services and the welfare system being implemented it was recognised that STAK needed to offer support to a much wider section of the community. STAK is now open six days a week, offering affordable lunch and teatime menus to vulnerable and socially isolated/excluded members of society, as well as offering courses, clubs, signposting, friendship and partnership working with a great many agencies, charities and statutory bodies.
STAK would not be able to operate without the unstinting hard work and dedication of all our volunteers, as well as the very generous support of the wider community. We have worked very hard over the last three years to raise awareness of the plight of vulnerable people at a local level, to promote positive engagement within society and to build on what we have delivered in a very short space of time. STAK is continually growing, as more people come to rely on the support we offer, so we are looking to build a sustainable future by securing our own premises, and through this we hope to be able to offer even more targeted help and support where it is needed.
Everyone at STAK is valued for the person that they are, whether client, volunteer or visitor. We have an open door policy, where everyone is treated equally, with dignity and respect and where everyone can feel safe. We encourage all clients to have a go at volunteering, and those that do are offered courses, such as food hygiene, first aid, conflict resolution and health and safety, all geared towards helping them improve their lives to the extent that they are comfortable with.
Working in the way that we do, and in delivering the support and services that we offer, STAK has gained a very positive reputation across the whole of Cornwall. We have been very fortunate in the support that we receive from the whole community, and this has resulted in winning three prestigious awards in the last fifteen months: Cornwall Community Foundation made us their Community Group of the year in 2011, we won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2012 (the Diamond Jubilee year) and we are proud to be the winner of the Big Society Award in 2013. Awards such as these only serve to reinforce the fact that what we do is absolutely vital to the community in which we are proud to play our part.
Why do we do it:
The single voice is never heard. We recognise that bad luck can happen to anyone, and usually this comes as a combination of life events that can have devastating consequences, leading to chaotic lives and choices. When people are down on their luck, and lacking both the skills and self confidence to address their problems, STAK is there to help. As a team we engender a safe and welcoming family environment, where people can come to first stabilise, and then start to make progress in rebuilding their lives. Most of our volunteers, and indeed some of our trustees, were originally clients, and through the help and support that STAK offers they have gained new skills and self confidence to become active and valued members of the community in which they live.
What it means to win this award:
STAK lives and breathes "big society" so winning this award is an honour. It absolutely reflects the message that we try to portray in everything we do: this is our community, our society, and as a society we have a duty to help those who are unable to help themselves effectively.
Top tips:
To deliver a strong brand within the community is to recognise that the community is wider than your core client base. A charitable community group can only thrive and deliver with the understanding and consent of the wider community, and in recognising this it is imperative to maximise any opportunity for growth that is presented by regularly engaging with that community and building a very strong support network.
Contact details:
STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen
8 High Cross Street
St Austell
Cornwall
PL25 4AB
Tel: 01726 77457
Email: stakstaustell@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/STAKStAustell
Twitter: @stakstaustell
Registered Charity: 1145449
On Wednesday 06 February 2013 on the Downing Street website it was announced that STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen was one of twelve winners of No. 10's Big Society Awards. Clearly we are thrilled and honoured to win this award as it affirms that everything we do at STAK is about Big Society within our local community. This award follows on from our success at being chosen as Cornwall Community Foundation's "Community Group of the Year" in 2011 and winning "The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service" in 2012. STAK is absolutely committed to helping the vulnerable, socially isolated and homeless within St Austell, the wider community and across the county to improve their lives to the extent that they are comfortable with.
Details of the award can be found by following this link: http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/st-austell-community-kitchen-wins-big-society-award/
What do we do:
STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen has been supporting the vulnerable, needy and homeless within our community for about twenty five years. Initially this was serving soup out of a mobile home to street homeless clients, but after relocation in various buildings over the years STAK started providing hot meals at an affordable price, and began working with one or two like minded groups in St Austell. About ten years ago STAK located to subsidised premises in the Baptist church and was regularly feeding about a dozen people at lunchtime, four times a week.
In early 2010 the church needed their premises to run other projects and STAK faced being made homeless themselves! A new group of trustees (all volunteers) was brought on board, new rented premises were secured, and due to the radical overhaul of support services and the welfare system being implemented it was recognised that STAK needed to offer support to a much wider section of the community. STAK is now open six days a week, offering affordable lunch and teatime menus to vulnerable and socially isolated/excluded members of society, as well as offering courses, clubs, signposting, friendship and partnership working with a great many agencies, charities and statutory bodies.
STAK would not be able to operate without the unstinting hard work and dedication of all our volunteers, as well as the very generous support of the wider community. We have worked very hard over the last three years to raise awareness of the plight of vulnerable people at a local level, to promote positive engagement within society and to build on what we have delivered in a very short space of time. STAK is continually growing, as more people come to rely on the support we offer, so we are looking to build a sustainable future by securing our own premises, and through this we hope to be able to offer even more targeted help and support where it is needed.
Everyone at STAK is valued for the person that they are, whether client, volunteer or visitor. We have an open door policy, where everyone is treated equally, with dignity and respect and where everyone can feel safe. We encourage all clients to have a go at volunteering, and those that do are offered courses, such as food hygiene, first aid, conflict resolution and health and safety, all geared towards helping them improve their lives to the extent that they are comfortable with.
Working in the way that we do, and in delivering the support and services that we offer, STAK has gained a very positive reputation across the whole of Cornwall. We have been very fortunate in the support that we receive from the whole community, and this has resulted in winning three prestigious awards in the last fifteen months: Cornwall Community Foundation made us their Community Group of the year in 2011, we won the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2012 (the Diamond Jubilee year) and we are proud to be the winner of the Big Society Award in 2013. Awards such as these only serve to reinforce the fact that what we do is absolutely vital to the community in which we are proud to play our part.
Why do we do it:
The single voice is never heard. We recognise that bad luck can happen to anyone, and usually this comes as a combination of life events that can have devastating consequences, leading to chaotic lives and choices. When people are down on their luck, and lacking both the skills and self confidence to address their problems, STAK is there to help. As a team we engender a safe and welcoming family environment, where people can come to first stabilise, and then start to make progress in rebuilding their lives. Most of our volunteers, and indeed some of our trustees, were originally clients, and through the help and support that STAK offers they have gained new skills and self confidence to become active and valued members of the community in which they live.
What it means to win this award:
STAK lives and breathes "big society" so winning this award is an honour. It absolutely reflects the message that we try to portray in everything we do: this is our community, our society, and as a society we have a duty to help those who are unable to help themselves effectively.
Top tips:
To deliver a strong brand within the community is to recognise that the community is wider than your core client base. A charitable community group can only thrive and deliver with the understanding and consent of the wider community, and in recognising this it is imperative to maximise any opportunity for growth that is presented by regularly engaging with that community and building a very strong support network.
Contact details:
STAK - St Austell Community Kitchen
8 High Cross Street
St Austell
Cornwall
PL25 4AB
Tel: 01726 77457
Email: stakstaustell@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/STAKStAustell
Twitter: @stakstaustell
Registered Charity: 1145449
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