Warwick Care home team swaps day jobs for kitchen takeover to serve 33 meals to support Helping Hands Community Project

Five team members from a Warwickshire care home swapped their day-to-day roles for a shift in the kitchen as they volunteered to prepare and serve meals for people experiencing homelessness, isolation or hardship.

The team at Oakley Grange Care Home, part of Cinnamon Care Collection,  took over the community kitchen at Helping Hands Community Project, serving 33 homemade meals to local people.

Care Assistant Jatin Sharma, Home Admissions Advisors Viv Hill and Paul Turvey, Wellbeing & Lifestyle Lead Daniela Sansome-Smith and Admin Assistant/Receptionist Elaine Kay prepared their homemade ‘Abundance of Love & Care’ chilli con carne for the charity’s clients.

It was the team’s first time volunteering with Helping Hands Community Project, although several members have previously supported other charities and organisations. The idea was led by Viv, who had wanted to volunteer in a community kitchen for some time and saw an opportunity for the team to extend its support beyond the care home.

Viv said: “Working in care, helping people is at the heart of what we do every day, so it felt natural to take that beyond the home and into our local community. Food is a basic need and nobody should have to go hungry. Being able to give our time, cook together and provide a meal for people who need it was incredibly rewarding, and we were so pleased to see how well the food was received. We’ve already been invited back and are planning another kitchen takeover in the new year, so we’re looking forward to continuing our support.”

The team received positive feedback from guests and volunteers at Helping Hands following the takeover.

Oakley Grange has continued to support the charity by hosting an Oktoberfest fundraiser, which has so far raised more than £200.

The team is now planning to return to Helping Hands Community Project for another kitchen takeover in the new year.

For more information about Oakley Grange and Cinnamon Care Collection, visit www.cinnamoncc.com.