Transforming Lives Through Food: The Story of Coexist Community Kitchen

In the community of Easton, Bristol, Coexist Community Kitchen is more than just a cookery school; it is a haven for social connection, empowerment, and support. Since its inception, Coexist has been dedicated to creating a space that feels like home, offering not only culinary education but also a sense of belonging and dignity for everyone who walks through its doors.

A vision for inclusivity

Coexist Community Kitchen was founded with the aim of providing a community food space that goes beyond the conventional food bank or institutional education setting. As Ari Cantwell, the Director and Kitchen Coordinator, explains, “When we started Coexist Community Kitchen in 2010, 2011, we started it with the idea to bring about a community food space that wasn’t a food bank, that wasn’t a solely kind of institutional education space that was about kind of a blend of a home, a place to connect, a place to feel belonging, but using food as that medium to bring people together.”

Empowering through education and support

The kitchen is a bustling hub of activity, offering a range of cookery classes, events, and training programs for people from diverse backgrounds. Ari highlights, “We’re full to the brim with cookery classes, events, training programs with young people and adults who are coming from a whole host of different backgrounds… we work largely with people who are accessing support services, because we see that as the obstacles and the extra levels of oppression and marginalization that people feel in our society.”

The cookery programs at Coexist are designed not only to teach culinary skills but also to create a sense of community and dignity. Ari elaborates, “We also see that everyone needs connection. Everyone needs a sense of dignity and a feeling of home. And that’s what we try to create here through cookery programs with people who are coming from a migrant or asylum background, people who are accessing drug and alcohol support, mental health support, young people who are out of care, out of school, all sorts of different communities. We know that food, as much of a cliché is, brings people together.”

The cookery programs at Coexist are designed not only to teach culinary skills but also to create a sense of community and dignity. Ari elaborates, “We also see that everyone needs connection. Everyone needs a sense of dignity and a feeling of home. And that’s what we try to create here through cookery programs with people who are coming from a migrant or asylum background, people who are accessing drug and alcohol support, mental health support, young people who are out of care, out of school, all sorts of different communities. We know that food, as much of a cliché is, brings people together.”

The power of crowdfunding

In a climate where funding and grants are increasingly squeezed, Coexist has made significant strides in becoming more self-sufficient. Becky Millington, the Marketing and Fundraising Lead, reflects on their crowdfunding success: “We run a fundraiser with Crowdfunder last year… it meant that we were able to actually get £63,000 in, which was incredible. We got donations from about 286 people, which is part of our network across Bristol.”

The recent crowdfunding campaign was a game-changer for Coexist. Becky explains, “We looked into the extra funding options and the Crowdfunder Cost of Living Resilience Fund was something that we were eligible for. We applied for it, got it. And that was a bit of a game changer, to be honest. It meant that every time that we got a donation, it had like a super power and just multiplied.”

Building resilience and community

The funds raised through the crowdfunding campaign have been instrumental in supporting Coexist’s various initiatives. Becky highlights, “That money goes towards the things that we actually deliver, which, we do cookery classes that are sort of, we call them outreach classes because they are working with people in the community mainly who are actually accessing social services… We invite them into the kitchen and they have time with us to connect with people in their community, connect with food, and kind of grow in confidence. It’s quite simple, something as basic as food, but we all have a connection to food, and that means that it can bring people together and it can in our opinion, make a stronger and more joyful society.”

Moreover, the kitchen’s catering services have become a vital part of their operation, allowing them to generate their own income while providing flexible work opportunities for the people they support. Ari shares, “Our trading arm is so much more about catering, and that allows us to employ the people that we’ve been training through our migrant business program… we cater for weddings, conferences, events, and that’s secondary to our community courses. But it’s so much part of it because it helps us generate our own income. But it also gives people spaces to share food, share dignity, share their story through catering.”

A lasting impact

The success of Coexist Community Kitchen’s crowdfunding campaign is a testament to the power of community and the profound impact of their work. Becky remarks, “It felt like the whole project got real momentum… people really love to back something that they can see is really working and that other people care about.”

Coexist Community Kitchen continues to thrive, making a tangible difference in the lives of many. Ari concludes, “We have countless numbers of people over the last 14 years who have come through a cooking class… and then they’ve stayed on as maybe a volunteer, maybe volunteering works for them in terms of, their lifestyle, in terms of their needs and their support and all have come in, have become caterers, have worked with us, have run cookery classes with us, on the board of directors. And that is really where we see that amazing connection of why the small little kitchen in the middle of Bristol makes a difference. The people that access it and to ourselves that work here as well. Amazing.”

Becky underscores the importance of their work, “Projects like this need to keep happening because this is so needed in our society. We’re all feeling so isolated, alone, disconnected, and something as simple as sitting around a table and sharing food has the power to really, like, change people for the better.”

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To support Coexist Community Kitchen or learn more about their work, visit their Crowdfunder page and join the movement to create a stronger, healthier, and more joyful society.