Gussies Kitchen in Chesterfield is hoping to extend its help to people suffering from food poverty in deprived areas of Chesterfield thanks to a donation from a Derbyshire Freemason’s Lodge.
Gussies Kitchen has been open for four years and is normally a social eating café cooking three course meals on Tuesdays for about 45 to 60 people in return for a small donation to help cover costs. Those unable to contribute were not charged. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the cafe was closed and the service was converted within a week to a provision of food bags using the food they have delivered on Tuesday’s from FareShare. The pandemic has also prevented Gussies Kitchen from accepting any cash from the public and this has caused further financial pressure.
The donation of £2,500 was made by the Spencer Lodge No 8773 who meet at Littleover in Derby with all the money coming from the generosity of their own members. The money donated by Spencer Lodge was desperately needed to help with the increased costs of buying extra food to meet with the surge in demand from the community.
Gussies Kitchen said, ‘We are overwhelmed by such an amazing amount of money at this critical time, with so many people needing help! It will be put to good use in this deprived part of Chesterfield. We cannot thank them enough for the difference it will make, ‘It will help us to meet the challenges of this Pandemic, by enabling us to buy additional food to deliver our ‘New Food Scheme’ which is aimed at gradually supporting households in food poverty to independence’.
‘The scheme will, we believe also help maintain and improve health and well-being by working with a variety of agencies to assist with other challenges such as energy poverty, benefit issues, debt management, accessing training, returning to work and rent arrears’.
For further information from Gussies Kitchen please contact: Jenny Flood, Volunteer Coordinator and Administrator on 07540069505 or by email mallard1@btinternet.com
