Our services include:

• Food Bank: Last year, we provided emergency food aid to over 3,000 people who cannot afford the basic cost of living. Access is strictly by referral from one of our 60 registered local referral agencies and access is typically limited to four food parcels a year. The Food Bank operates twice a week and is run by a large team of volunteers.
• Community Kitchen: We serve a freshly cooked three-course vegetarian meal every Friday evening. Referrals are not required; the service is open to the community. Last year we served 2,000 meals, mainly to people who are homeless, socially isolated, food bank users or those in debt or claiming benefits.
• Welfare Advice Service: Our Advice Worker helps people address the underlying problems that led them to our Food Bank – such as benefit disruptions, housing problems and other financial difficulties. The support we provide is ongoing and tailored to the needs of the individual – no matter how long it takes.
• Food Academy: An AQA accredited 6-week cookery course that teaches young people about nutrition and healthy eating as well as food preparation and kitchen skills. The course is designed to increase community cohesion, reduce social isolation and improve the health and wellbeing of the families we support.
• Refugee Support: Our Refugee Resettlement Programme helps newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers access the housing, healthcare, training and jobs they need to build a new life in the community. We offer cultural trips, access to ESOL classes and orientation classes and events to improve integration and self-sufficiency. 
• Employment Training: We regularly run programmes designed to empower the long-term unemployed to find work by gaining professional skills and experience. Our AQA accredited courses also help with CV writing, work experience and finding work.
• St. Raphael’s Edible Garden: We’ve worked with local residents to turn an abandoned space on the estate into a Community Garden, where we offer horticulture courses (AQA accredited) and volunteering opportunities for local residents and people with additional mental/physical health needs. The space includes a teaching tipi, a wildlife pond, a chicken coop (with 20 egg-laying hens), an orchard and an abundance of raised beds for growing vegetables and fruit.

Each of these services is designed to lead vulnerable people on a personal journey from crisis to social and financial inclusion and, ultimately, active participation in the community and economic stability. Despite limited resources, the charity delivers a 7-day service at the busiest times of the year, including Christmas Day and bank holidays, to ensure that we can provide an effective safety net when vulnerable people need it most.

We rely heavily on our dedicated team of around 100 regular volunteers and 200 one-off volunteers to ensure that we can deliver these services, and we work closely with local churches, mosques, schools and voluntary sector organisation for wide range of support.