What is 'Compassionate Christmas'?
At Giraffe in Perth, we've been doing good with food for many years and every year in December, our trainees, volunteers and staff pull together to make and distribute (at least!) two thousand free three course festive dinners to people in need throughout Perth and Kinross.
Who are Giraffe?
We are a charity and social enterprise in Perth and our primary aim is to help people with severe and complex barriers, such as learning disabilities, autism and mental ill health, to make the transition towards inclusion, socialisation and, if appropriate, into meaningful work.
You may know us from our great cafe on South Street in Perth or you may have been one of the many thousands of people munching on our tasty outside catering at Perth Concert Hall or elsewhere.
But did you know that our trainees, staff and volunteers have made and distributed more than 150,000 meals for free to local people in need. These meals and the Compassionate Christmas meals are all made in our Giraffe Community Kitchen (GCK) which is an industrial production kitchen focused on continuing trainee development, reducing food waste and, if possible, increase the amount of income we can derive from our enterprising activities.
Who is involved?
The social impact of this work is entirely based on collaborative work across the whole of the local authority. From our kitchen, our AWESOME community partners collect and distribute the meals in their areas to our local communities in need. Organisations we work with every year include Letham4all, Blue Door Foodbank, Broke Not Broken, Perth Autism Support, CATH, Perthshire Women's Aid, RASAC Perth and Kinross, Bankfoot Foodshare, Crieff Connexions, Perth and Kinross Foodbank and many more!
Who does it help?
There are just over 5,914 children identified as in poverty in Perth and Kinross.
The cost-of-living crisis and the state of our collective wellbeing means urgent action is needed. The broad urban and rural landscape mix, presents additional challenges, including low paid employment, part time and insecure employment such as tourism and hospitality, social care and admin as well as limited public transport options, higher housing and living costs, contributing to what is often termed as a "rural premium" for basic goods and services.
There is hidden poverty with people who own their own home, with limited savings and financial assets not easily accessible and who don't typically ask for help. Moreover, P&K's ageing demographic exacerbates the situation, with older residents facing increased isolation and limited access to services.
We aim to help as many of these households as we can - with every extra pound we can attract, the more we can offer to our communities!
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