CheckIN Works/Giraffe Trading is charity kitchen and café in Perth, which aims to improve accessibility to job opportunities for adults experiencing a diverse range of disabilities, mental ill-health, homelessness, and other barriers to sustaining meaningful employment.
Giraffe gives trainees hands-on experience in the hospitality industry, from back of house preparing meals for the community, to serving breakfast and lunch in the café. The project allows each person to measure their own level of success and some trainees go on to become full time members of staff.
Around 80,000 meals have been sent out by the charity to help people throughout Perth and Kinross who have been experiencing insecurity or food insecurity, something which was started during the pandemic. Everything prepared and served in the community kitchen and café is made by the trainees.
Gareth Ruddock, CEO of Giraffe commented: “When lockdown hit, we had a big kitchen full of food and we didn’t want to waste it. A group of our volunteers grouped together and did a pile of cooking and handed those meals out to our partner organisations – other local community groups who were helping on the front line, so to speak, and it grew and grew. As we started coming in and out of lockdown as we did, we recognised that it was giving our trainees quite an amazing experience. These meals are made by our dedicated team of staff and volunteers, supporting autistic people and people with learning disabilities to learn essential life skills and socialisation. They were getting one to one time, following processes from start to finish.
“The funding from the Enchanted Forest Community Trust has allowed us to continue to support people in Highland Perthshire through making and distributing healthy, home-made style meals for free to households in need.”
To find out more about CheckIN Works/Giraffe Trading, please visit their website here.
